His Whims
by Piplup99
Summary: After a short-lived romance with Gou, Haruka finds himself being roped along with Rin's desires. Drama ensues. And to think it all started with a Valentine's Day present. Rinharu, Sharkbait. Written before episode 5.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Warning. There will be profanity in this because Rin is a potty mouth.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

On February the fourteenth, after a satisfying swim meet and a parting with Makoto, Haruka turned the corner to behold a startling sight before his front door.

"Happy Valentines."

Lo and behold, there stood Rin Matsuoka in all his black-sports-jacket, red-haired glory, offering a cutesy pink sack in an almost bashful way. Haruka blinked.

Apparently, Haruka was too engrossed in his disbelief, as Rin barked out a biting insult that snapped him out of his thoughts. He searched tryingly for a proper response.

"Sorry, but I don't like you that way," he forced out. Rin scowled.

"It's from my sister, you dumbass," he snarled, shoving the pleasant sack against Haruka's chest. He turned away furiously, arms trembling with rage and mortification while Haruka calmly bagged the gift in his pocket. Haruka smiled inwardly; some things stayed the same despite the rift that formed between them.

As Haruka reached for the door, a cursory glance backwards informed him that the fiery swimmer was still there, much to his surprise, albeit facing away and seething. The sight of long red locks suddenly revived the distant memory of Rin's frequent visits, during which he would never fail to raid Haruka's fridge, annoy him with his loudness, and leave him exhausted yet satisfied upon his departure. How nostalgic. It'd be nice if Rin could come over.

"Would you like to come over?" Well damn. He didn't mean to _voice _his thought.

They stood silently, Haruka willing himself not to fidget and Rin staring at him incredulously. Understandable, given how sour their relationship was. Nonetheless, Rin turned around and plodded up to Haruka, nodding quietly at him and surprising him yet again.

The dark-haired boy unlatched the door, and they stepped inside the house, Rin throwing himself per protocol beside Haruka's dining table. A familiar gesture that brought another bout of nostalgia to him.

"Is fish okay?"

A grunt. Yes in Rin-speak, which Haruka learned from experience.

Haruka grilled the mackerel in silence, willing himself to not glance at his rival, who he knew was still in his house only by the occasional sighs of the floorboards. When the meal was ready, he sat himself silently at the opposite end of the table, placing the food between him and Rin, almost as if erecting a barrier. They ate in silence, ignoring the unspoken words between them.

"Why didn't Kou-san give it to me herself?"

"What?"

Rin had stopped eating at Haruka's sudden query. The dark-haired boy looked to the side.

"It would be faster if she gave it to me instead of having you come all the way here."

Rin snorted in agreement and resumed chewing.

"She said some bullshit about it being less awkward if it was me," he responded after thickly swallowing his mouthful. Haruka nodded as he ate another bite. "I was coming here anyways to drop off a girl."

This time, it was Haruka who stopped chewing.

That's right, he thought, resuming his chewing. Rin had become more... _free _with his body as of late, lending it to any woman he met. He recalled Kou-san earlier that day complaining about how her older brother was ruining the meaning of Valentine's day. She had followed the complaint with a compliment to Haruka's propriety, to which Haruka replied with an acknowledging nod.

"Is it that shocking?"

Haruka really needed to work on keeping his face blank when deep in thought.

"I didn't expect it," he replied honestly, pinching a bit of fish and rice with his chopsticks. "You changed a lot," he added, instantly regretting the afterthought.

To his surprise, Rin didn't respond, instead placing his chopsticks down and pinching the bridge of his nose between his closed eyes. Haruka finished his meal in silence and in turn set his chopsticks down.

"Let's race tomorrow," Rin said suddenly, hacking into Haruka's train of thought. He looked up to meet smoldering red eyes. "Meet me at Samezuka at eight, outside the pool."

Haruka found himself unable to speak, but his eyes apparently betrayed his confirmation. Rin broke his gaze away, suddenly rising to his feet.

"Thank you for the meal," he said without a backward glance, and walked out of Haruka's house.

The black-haired boy sat still, frozen in the same position, before an exhausted sigh broke the vigil-like paralysis.

He really needed a bath tonight.

* * *

The next day, on the fifteenth of February, after Iwatobi's swim meet had ended, a bashful tug on his sleeve snapped Haruka out of his preparations for the trip to Samezuka.

"Haruka-senpai."

The teen looked up. Kou-san was standing before him, staring at him intently. Haruka frowned inwardly, wondering what Rin's little sister wanted from him.

"Can I talk to you alone?"

Haruka glanced at his watch. There was plenty of time left. His gaze shifted to Kou-san, and he took in the girl's wide-eyed, determined expression, eyes softening.

"Alright," he agreed. Kou-san brightened up, and Haruka almost smiled at how much it reminded him of Rin. "Make it quick."

* * *

Later that evening, Haruka found himself leaning against the cold brick wall that separated him and the Samezuka swim team. The faint sounds of splashing strangely did nothing to soothe his frayed nerves, and he found himself intently fingering the cuff of his uniform, wishing be at home, at Makoto's - anywhere but here.

Eventually, the whistles, shouts, and splashes faded away, and Haruka saw, in his peripheral vision, the lights inside the building flicker off. Soon, a familiar redhead wearing a black sports jacket greeted him, and Haruka pulled himself to his feet.

He followed Rin in silence, and they entered the dark building, not flicking on the lights lest someone discovers them. Rin stripped fervently, with every bit of aggression he held within, but Haruka found his usual eagerness to swim nonexistent, and he peeled his uniform off reluctantly.

"Two laps," stated Rin, no room for argument. Haruka nodded obligingly.

They stepped onto the starting blocks, standing in position. A shout from Rin, and they dove into the water.

The race ended quickly. Rin won again, but he seemed less than pleased with his victory. Understandable, given how Haruka was still out of shape. The fiery swimmer tore his swim cap and his goggles off angrily, choosing to sit at the edge of the pool in silence.

Haruka sighed, taking off his swim gear as well. One glance at the dangerous aura that surrounded his rival told him that now was not the best time to tell him something important. Something that could anger him even more, as impossible as it sounded. Something that involved a person very close to him.

Like how Haruka was dating his little sister.

Quietly, he pulled himself out of the pool and settled beside Rin, ignoring the other's cold flinch away. He couldn't resist another sigh, reaching for his temples as he recalled earlier that day, when Kou-san had approached him after swim meet, bright eyed and flushed, and promptly asked him out.

Rin's little sister asked him out.

One look at those eager red eyes, so familiar to those on his once-best-friend, and Haruka's resolve had crumbled to dust.

And now, Haruka was sitting beside his friend-gone-rival, who definitely harbored a range of negative emotions towards him, and he just so happened to be dating his little sister. Not to mention how furious and unresponsive the rival was at the moment. Not to mention how he needed to tell Rin _now_, because it was probably the last chance he'd get to in private.

Not to mention how he was dating Rin's little sister. He sighed.

"Rin," he called out, not flinching when the red-head's fury focused on him. "I need to tell you something."

Rin stared at him distrustfully for a few moments. "Shoot."

Haruka breathed quietly, as if immersed in water, in an attempt to steady himself.

"I'm-"

He broke off with a fake cough, wondering how saying a few words could be so difficult.

"I'm," he began, forcing the words to follow, "dating your little sister."

Silence.

They looked at each other, red eyes on blue, for a few moments.

"Is that all?" Rin growled coldly.

Haruka blinked. "You're not mad?"

Rin turned away. "I don't give a shit."

Strange. Acceptance from Rin. That was probably the best-case scenario. No, that was way beyond any possible reaction Haruka could've imagined.

Not that he was complaining.

"Just don't hurt my sister or anything," Rin added, still facing away. "Else I _won't _forgive you."

Haruka almost smiled wryly. Not that evoking Rin's wrath would be anything new.

He sat there quietly, toes tracing patterns in the ever-pliant water, wondering what Rin really thought of the situation, whether he was being honest about not caring. Rin had always been frank and upfront when they were younger, but through the years, the boy had changed so much that Haruka might as well be thinking of a stranger. The only things the Rin of the past and the Rin of now shared were their appearance and their temper. Everything else had changed. Like his relationships.

That's right. Rin was kind of a... _player _now. Strange. The Rin of the past was so honest and dedicated, it was so alien to imagine Rin fooling with women and tossing them away as soon as it bored him. Haruka frowned. Maybe that was why Rin cared so little about him dating Kou-san. Relationships were fleeting to him, and though Rin had changed, Haruka certainly did not. Rin probably understood that Haruka would never hurt his little sister.

A nostalgic pang. Things were so different.

"You should go now," Rin said, snapping Haruka out of his thoughts. The dark-haired boy nodded, heaving himself onto his feet and gathering his clothes. He dried himself with a towel before clothing himself and stuffing everything he brought into his travel bag. As he walked out of the door, Haruka hesitated, turning back to look at Rin. The other hadn't moved at all.

"Are you sure you're fine with me dating your sister?"

Rin flinched slightly. This time, his response was not as instantaneous.

"Yes. Now go before you get caught."

Haruka obliged.

When he stepped outside, he noticed that the sky was eerily dark. Kind of like the events of his life at the moment.

Sighing, he pulled his travel bag higher onto his shoulders, and began walking.

* * *

A/N: So. I've decided to bandwagon onto the Free! fandom. A few notes. There _will _be lemon in the later chapters. Do not be mistaken by the implied Haruka x Gou. **This is completely and utterly Rin x Haruka**, with maybe a bit of platonic Makoto x Haruka thrown in. Main pairing is Sharkbait, 'kay? Is that understood?

Also, about this story. I've been throwing this idea around for a bit. I've fallen in love with this pairing since the first time I watched the PV, and I really can't imagine Rin or Haruka with anyone else. Maybe Haruka with Makoto, but I prefer it as more of a bromance thing. Gou is such a fun character, and I realized that she could very well instigate a chain of events like this. Add in some nights of thinking, and voilà! You have this mish mash.

Anyways, what do you, the reader, think of this chapter? Do you think the characters are OOC? Do you think the premise is boring? Do you love Haruka's sexy hair? Oh, the mysteries of life.

One more thing. I don't know much about swimming, so if there are any inaccuracies, please feel free to inform me and I will fix them.

So anyways, I guess I'll see you guys soon. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Warning! Lots of Haruka x Gou fluff in this one, but let me remind you that **this is completely and utterly Rin x Haruka****. **Please do not turn away from this story because of the Haruka x Gou. I want this to be realistic, and that entails a pairing that is not Rinharu. Please understand this.

* * *

The weekend passed uneventfully, and soon, Haruka found himself at the Iwatobi pool for another Monday's swim meet.

It wasn't just any other swim meet, though. If it was, Haruka would be stripping right away and diving recklessly into the water. Haruka would be submerging himself for as long as possible before his physical needs brought him back to the surface. Haruka would be immeasurably excited to reunite with his lovely pool._  
_

Haruka was none of that. In fact, he was dreading the first swim meet he'd have with his girlfriend, also his rival's younger sister, as his coach. His anxiety was abruptly quashed when a small blur of blond hair tackled him into a bear hug.

"Haru-chan, it's been forever!" The dark-haired boy stared pleadingly at the tall brunet behind his assailant.

"It's only been a few hours, Nagisa," Makoto corrected, prying the younger boy's arms off of Haruka. Haruka spared him a thankful glance.

"Hello there, Nanase-kun!" chirped Ama-sensei in her lofty seat under the shade while Rei stood beside her. The blue-haired kohai quickly trotted up to him.

"Haruka-senpai, good to see you," Rei greeted him, nodding respectfully. Haruka returned the gesture. "I've practiced my butterfly stroke before you came, and I assure you: the psychological impact of my new trunks has greatly benefited-"

"Great!" Nagisa enthused crassly, earning a glare from Rei. "Now we're all here except-"

Nagisa cut himself off, and the swim club glanced around. A normally punctual redhead was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Kou-san?"

Haruka felt horrible for feeling relief from the girl's absence.

"Right here!"

Speak of the devil and the devil shall come.

Sure enough, when he turned around, Haruka came face to face with the bright-eyed girl. His girlfriend.

"Gou, where were you? You're never late!" Nagisa exclaimed. To his surprise, the Kou-san did not correct the usage of her name, instead sighing dreamily.

"I'm sorry for being late, everyone." She bowed apologetically. "I was busy making your bentos." She glanced at Haruka.

The routine pre-swimming hubbub continued for a few moments, with Kou-san glancing at Haruka bashfully and Haruka willing himself not to avoid her gaze for fear of insulting her, but thankfully, before Kou-san could approach him, Rei suddenly proclaimed the swim club's lack of beauty, snapping everyone to the duties at hand. With that, they got down to business, Kou-san shouting instructions and the four males running their routines with the occasional wise saying from Ama-sensei. Much too soon, Haruka found himself torn away from the water as his friends gathered under the shade, calling him for a break. Sighing, he pulled himself out of the water.

"Haruka-senpai, let me get that for you!"

Before Haruka could protest, Kou-san had already wrapped him in a towel and began diligently wiping the moisture off his body.

Ignoring the curious glances from his friends, Haruka settled beside the pool obediently, mindful of convenience as he twisted around to give Kou-san access. He watched her as she swabbed the towel across his arms intently, taking in the determined crease of her brow and the slight flush of red on her cheeks. Haruka's eyes softened. She really was a sweet girl.

"I-I'm done," Kou-san exclaimed some time later. Haruka smiled at the cute stutter.

"Thank you, Kou-san."

"Kou."

Haruka blinked, and the redhead turned away with a mortifying blush.

"You can just call me Kou." She turned back to stare pleadingly into Haruka's eyes. "Please?"

He stared back into the red orbs, mouth opening and closing with indecision. When a glimmer of hurt flashed into Kou-san's eyes, Haruka quickly snapped himself out of his daze.

"Thank you for drying me, K-Kou."

She brightened.

They headed to the shade, where Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, and Ama-sensei were waiting for them. Kou-san - no, it's _Kou _now - reached into a tote, pulling out four bentos with a bright smile. Almost instantaneously, his friends cheered. Efficiently, Kou distributed the food, and Nagisa was already gorging himself.

"Hey, Haru-chan!" Nagisa gasped, spilling globules of half-chewed food to the ground. Haruka's nose wrinkled. "Why do you get teriyaki and we don't?"

Haruka raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about."

"It's true," Rei agreed, spilling out food as well. "I don't have teriyaki either. Do you, Makoto?"

The tall boy shook his head, eyes gleaming with curiosity. Haruka reverted his gaze to his bento, eyeing the teriyaki blankly.

"It's a present," Kou suddenly interjected. The four of them turned to look at her.

"What for?" Nagisa questioned incredulously before his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Haru-chan didn't trick you or anything?"

"What? No!" Kou retorted, as if horrified by the thought. "It's because-"

She broke off, ears flaming, attracting the interest of his friends.

"Because what?" Nagisa pushed, leaning forward expectantly.

"Because Haruka-senpai and I-"

She bit her lip, face red and unable to continue, but Nagisa finished for her.

"You and Haru-chan are dating?"

Four pairs of eyes from Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, and Ama-sensei stared at the couple with expressions ranging from shock to disbelief. Haruka felt his ears growing red, but it was nothing compared to the full-on blush on Kou. Poor girl.

"Congratulations," Makoto coughed, breaking the spell. Rei stuttered, unable to formulate a complete sentence, while Nagisa just nodded in agreement. Ama-sensei perked up.

"As Oscar Wilde says," she quipped, "a life without love is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. I wish you two a happy relationship! Just don't kiss in front of us or anything."

"Ama-sensei!" Kou exclaimed. Haruka just coughed uncomfortably. Fortunately, the obscure quote from Ama-sensei broke the awkward atmosphere, and, once again, the hubbub resumed.

The break ended, and they resumed swimming practice until the setting sun did not permit it. Unlike his usual routine, Haruka did not walk home with Makoto, choosing instead to accompany his girlfriend. The club parted with a reminder from Kou that joint practices with Samezuka were on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"Haruka-senpai?"

The soft murmur from Kou attracted Haruka's attention instantly.

"Can I just call you Haruka? Or Haru, if you're uncomfortable with that? Or maybe that's still too far? Haru-kun? Haruka-kun?"

She shut her mouth abruptly, face flaming. Haruka's sighed softly, reaching for the girl's hand. She gasped as their fingers interlocked.

"You can call me Haruka," he said quietly.

A squeeze at his hand was the only indication of a response.

Soon, they arrived at Kou's house. Rin's former house. Haruka felt a stab in his heart.

"Thank you for today, Haruka," Kou murmured softly. The usage of his name sounded foreign to his ears.

He stared at Kou, at the petite redhead. She really was a cute girl. And kind. And dedicated. There was really nothing wrong with her. Plus, she was Rin's little sister. He suddenly jolted at the thought, and a clenching determination overcame him.

That's right. Rin's little sister. Rin's family. And she was in Haruka's hands. Haruka had to treat her well, make her feel welcome, because Kou was Rin's dear little sister, and dear God, Haruka didn't want to hurt him anymore than he already did.

"K-Kou," he called out abruptly, wincing at the unfamiliarity of the name. The girl looked at him questioningly.

"You're very cute," he began, ignoring the rising blush on both his and Kou's faces. "You're dedicated. Resourceful. Diligent. Kind."

He hesitated suddenly, wondering if he should say his next words. Then he remembered that girls appreciated honesty.

"You're a good person like your brother," he blurted.

For a moment, Kou's eyes betrayed surprise. As expected, Haruka reasoned, but then it gave away to reveal... disappointment?

_Disappointment?_

Did he do something wrong?

"Thank you, Haruka," she said softly. "You're right. My brother _is _a good person. See you tomorrow."

Haruka nodded.

With that, Kou closed the door, leaving Haruka standing outside of Rin's former house. He stood still, puzzled, before he snapped himself out of his thoughts and began his walk home.

Little did he know, that was strike one.

* * *

A/N: Ooh! A cliffhanger!

I'm sorry to be repetitive, but I want to emphasize this. **This is Rin x Haruka**. I really don't want anyone to be disappointed in this story because of the Haruka x Gou, so please bear with me. Please be patient, and I assure you that the Rinharu will come in due time. It _is _my OTP after all, wink wink.

To all my reviewers, favs, and follows! Thank you guys so much! I was blown away by the reception of this story, especially since this is my first appearance in the Free! fandom. You guys rock, you know that? Shout out to all the reviewers: IntotheWoods, SaralynS, EmeraldStarShine, Elvent, Say-It, seijuurou, Rikka-tan. Thank you all for the feedback!

So yes. What do you, the reader, think of this chapter? Was Gou a sweet girl, or was she terrible for cockblocking the Rinharu? Was Haru a considerate boyfriend, or was he an insensitive jerk? Is Haru sexy, or is Haru sexy? Will there ever be Sharkbait in this fic? (The answer to the last question is yes).

I guess that's all for now. Over and out, you wonderful, wonderful readers.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Warning! Contains badly made-up Japanese names, Rin being an asshole, and drama.

* * *

Tuesday evening marked a joint practice with Samezuka, which entailed having his girlfriend who he'd disappointed the previous day and her short-tempered older brother in the same room with Haruka. The double-whammy was enough to completely deprive Haruka of his enjoyment of the school's luxurious indoor swimming pool, and that was saying a lot.

Kou acted normally, even approaching him and thanking him for the compliments of the previous night, bewildering the already confused boy. If Haruka hadn't seen for himself the sharp but terse look of disappointment on her face, he would've thought that everything was fine. Maybe it was. Maybe Haruka, in the heat of the moment, had imagined the glimmer of negativity.

Or maybe Kou was just hiding it.

"Two laps of freestyle! Rin, Nitori, get on the blocks!" Mikoshiba yelled, snapping Haruka out of his thoughts. Rin and a fellow Samezuka student stood on the starting blocks, and it took everything in Haruka's power not to look at his rival as he dove into the water.

The practice proceeded with pairs of swimmers summoned by the Samezuka swim captain, each swimming a fifty in freestyle. As usual, Rin was ignoring him, a sentiment that Haruka made sure to reciprocate, but Kou seemed perky as always despite Haruka's predictions. He grit his teeth in frustration. Were all women this complicated? He could go gay just to avoid the drama, but Rin was complicated too. Not that Haruka would go gay for Rin, because that was what his train of thought was implying. Maybe he should avoid anyone named Matsuoka instead, since it was a more accurate grouping of the troubles in his life.

"Haru-chan."

The familiar tenor of Makoto's voice somewhat soothed him, and he turned to face his friend.

"Are you okay?" he queried, concerned. "You seem worried about something."

Did he? Damn. He even made sure to practice his blank face for his deep thoughts. Haruka shot the concern aside coolly, knowing very well that Makoto understood him enough not to be offended by the distance. Predictably, Makoto chuckled slightly at his response, irritating Haruka just enough to distract him from his worries.

"Haruka! Makoto!" Mikoshiba's voice broke through their conversation. "You're up!"

He and Makoto readied themselves at the starting blocks, Haruka staring intensely at the calming water just a dive away. A wayward glance at Makoto, who smiled at him kindly, and the whistle sounded. He dove in, becoming oblivious to the world around him and relishing the complete escape that the water brought to him. The immersion was over quickly, however, and Haruka found himself cursing his speed.

"Haruka, let me get that for you."

Kou threw a towel over him and he sat down, watching Kou dry the moisture on his arms tenderly.

"Thank you, Kou," he murmured quietly, pretending not to notice the rising blush on Kou's cheeks.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the Samezuka freshman - Nitori, was it? - glance at them stealthily before chattering wide-eyed with a certain redhead. Rin waved the boy away, but not before sending an inconspicuous glance of his own, which Haruka caught and returned. They stared each other down, and surprisingly, Rin was the first to break away.

"Haruka-senpai," Rei addressed him as he and Kou made their way to the group. "Your swimming was magnificent as always. So was your care for your boyfriend, Gou-san."

"Shut up!" she seethed, flaming. "And it's Kou, not Gou."

"No, but really!" Nagisa jutted in. "You two are really cute together! Have you kissed yet?"

Haruka glared at the blond. "What's it to you? And we've only been dating for three or four days."

"Have you told Rin?" Makoto asked, glancing warily at the shark-like swimmer at the opposite side of the pool. Damn Makoto and his ability to pick apart Haruka's problems like it was nothing. Haruka sighed.

"I've told him," he forced out grudgingly. Kou looked up in interest. "He says he's fine with it."

Kou's eyes widened with what seemed to be surprise, before she could say something, Mikoshiba's shout rang throughout the room.

"We're going to have a relay between Iwatobi and Samezuka! Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, and Haruka on the left. Daisuke, Nitori, Kyouya, and Rin on the right!"

Haruka frowned. Another confrontation with Rin, much too soon. The swimmers aligned themselves as the backstrokers dipped into the water, and Haruka ignored Rin as they stood beside each other, distancing himself as much as possible.

The relay was neck to neck, with whatever lead gained in one fifty quickly disappearing in the next, but it was clear to everyone that the Samezuka swimmers were incrementally leading with each lap; Iwatobi worked hard, but they hadn't been swimming long enough to restore themselves. When Haruka dove into the water, Rei gasping for breath below him, time seemed to slow down just enough for Haruka to glance sidelong at Rin. He briefly wondered what his rival was thinking, but his hands penetrated the water and his attention focused on the water at hand, feeling a splash beside him as Rin likewise dove into the water.

They swam forcefully, Haruka forgoing his love of water in favor of swimming faster, more seriously, hoping that Rin would sense the effort he put into their competition. When he turned to the side, gasping for breath, he glimpsed Kou cheering at him passionately, screaming his name at the top of her lungs. Motivated, he willed his limbs to carry him faster, farther, and he found himself closing the lead that the Samezuka team had built up.

When he passed Rin, however, his limbs suddenly rebelled against him.

The vast expanse of blueness engulfing him seemed to fade away, and he was suddenly standing by the pool, his former coach standing grimly to the side, Rin on his knees before him, the tears rushing down his face contrasting greatly with the obnoxious, happy-go-lucky boy Haruka knew. But then...

...the image faded away, or at least Rin did, because Haruka was suddenly standing in the same place with Kou kneeling before him, hands on her face, attempting to hide the tears that trailed down her face. Haruka's breath hitched, suddenly unable to take in the sweet air. What was going on? Why was Kou crying? Did he do this?

A forceful command from his brain forced his lungs to function again, but when he breathed in, all that went in was water.

"...!"

What was that?

"...ruka! Haruka!"

He opened his eyes. He was back in the pool, in the middle of a race.

Forcing the water out of his lungs painfully, he swam up to the surface, breaking through the barrier to take in some sweet oxygen before using the gas to power his strokes to the finish. But it was already too late. Rin was a couple of yards ahead of him, and when he finally touched the pool's wall, Rin stared at him with an emotion someone else would think was worry, but Haruka knew better.

"Haruka!" It was Makoto. The larger boy pulled him over the edge of the pool and into a shaky bear hug. Looking around, he took in the worried faces of his friends and a few others from Samezuka. "I thought you- I thought you-"

"Haruka." It was Kou this time, and the anxious murmuring around him seemed to hush at the girl's worried cry. Haruka took in the moisture in her eyes, wincing

"Are you all right?" Makoto's voice was trembling as he held Haruka firmly. Haruka nodded, feeling the daze and the adrenaline leaking out of his body, leaving him calm but perturbed. When Makoto's grip did not loosen, he forced out a harder, "I'm fine." His good friend noticed the hidden edge in his voice and let go, albeit reluctantly.

"Move away, people!" Mikoshiba commanded, glancing briefly at the dark-haired boy. "He says he's fine. Go back to practice."

The crowd dispersed with unsettled mumbling, leaving him, Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, Kou, and surprisingly Rin.

"Haruka!" Kou was gushing now that the crowd was gone, nearly crying. Haruka cringed at the sight of her tears. "Are you okay? You scared me so much! Don't ever-"

"Haru."

The sharp voice was unmistakably Rin's. He turned to face his rival slowly.

"What was that?" The accusatory tone was biting. "Were you taking the race seriously at all?"

A rare frown graced Makoto's face, Rei shook his head, and Nagisa seemed furious, but Kou was the one who spoke up.

"What are you talking about, Onii-chan? Haruka almost drowned, and all you can talk about is the race! Is all you care about winning? Do you even care about Haruka? You're such a stupid, inconsiderate-"

"Kou-san." Haruka snapped, unable to restrain the acridity. The girl's eyes went wide, and Haruka felt a twisting sensation in his gut immediately, but he pushed on. "This is between me and your brother. Stay out of it."

That was strike two.

Kou burst into tears, stepping away and covering her face with her hands. Haruka ignored it, though, and Rin ignored it too. They glared at each other deeply as Nagisa placed a hesitant hand on Kou's shoulder.

The swimming practice ended lightly, though the shadow of Haruka's almost-drowning remained. The first thing he did when the practice came to a close was walk up to Rin, grab him roughly by the shoulder, and turning him around so his blue eyes bore into red ones.

"I was being serious during the relay," he said lowly. Something flickered in Rin's eyes before his anger came back full force.

"Say that next time you suddenly put on a show of drowning," he retorted fiercely, causing Haruka to growl.

"I'm sorry about that," he began. "It won't happen again, but leave everyone else out of it."

His grip on Rin's shoulder tightened.

"If they're worried about me, don't say anything. Let me take care of it." The sharpness in Haruka's voice suddenly faded away as he hesitated, considering his next words. "And I really was trying my best during the relay."

They stared into each other's eyes, exchanging unspoken words. The flicker of resignation almost convinced Haruka that Rin believed him, but the coldness resumed abruptly.

Rin shoved his arm away, reminding Haruka of the conversation they had with Rin pinning him against a fence. He spat some insult at Haruka before making his way to a pretty lady waiting by the door, looping his arms around the woman. Haruka glared at the woman, no doubt the redhead's conquest for the night, before sighing with frustration and returning to his friends. They began their trek to the metro.

The atmosphere was awkward as his friends tried to inconspicuously glance at him, failing completely, all except Kou who was staring at Haruka straight on with an unreadable expression. Rei was the first to approach him.

"What did you guys talk about? He didn't threaten you or anything?"

If Haruka wasn't irritated, he would've smiled lightly at his kohai's concern. "No. We talked about nothing."

"Yeah, Rin-chan did that a lot back then," Nagisa quipped. "A bunch of sounds would come out of his mouth, but none of it meant anything. Sometimes, I think he's an alien trying to fit in on Earth."

Nagisa's lame joke lightened the atmosphere considerably, and their everyday chatter resumed. Kou, however, still refused to look at Haruka, and the ride on the train was incredibly awkward. Haruka chose once again to walk the redhead home, waving goodbye to his friends at an intersection.

He trekked behind his girlfriend quietly, thinking back to Kou's tears, both imagined and real. The twisting in his gut returned but with much more force, and Haruka almost physically gagged at how biting and urgent his guilt was. He made his girlfriend cry. He made Rin's little sister cry. He felt horrible.

"Sorry about today," he said, watching the redhead's pony tail flop back and forth as they walked. The apology stung his pride, but the relief from righting the complication was more pressing. "I say things sometimes."

Kou tilted her head quietly, not offering a verbal reply. They walked in silence for a few moments, Kou seemingly deep in thought.

"It's all right," she said suddenly, and Haruka stared at the back of her head. "You're right. It _is _between you and my brother, and I shouldn't get between that."

Haruka frowned, no longer sure if she was referring to their argument today. Nonetheless, he grunted quietly in acknowledgement. The mood was still grave, however, and Haruka had a feeling that Kou did not really forgive him yet. He sighed inaudibly, preparing himself for what he would say next.

"Do you want to go to an aquarium tomorrow?" Kou stopped walking.

Haruka almost bit his tongue at the uncharacteristic offer, but persisted.

"I happen to have two tickets." A lie. Haruka would buy them tonight.

Kou turned around slowly, her wide, gleaming eyes meeting his. Haruka internally smiled. He was finally doing something right.

"I would love to," she gushed, and at once the heavy atmosphere lifted with the excitement in her eyes. Haruka was certain he met his year's quota for expressing emotions already, but he allowed himself a light laugh. He reached for Kou's hands, twining his fingers tightly with hers.

"It's a date."

* * *

A/N: That's right! Some angst and fluff in this chappie, as well as a lot of Rinharu sexual tension! I swear, the more I write about Gou dating Haruka, the more I fall in love with her. She's such a sweet and fun character! But dayum! Haruka is _really _inexperienced with women, don't you think?

This chapter was so fun to write, and I think it shows because it's the longest chapter thus far. What about _you_, reader? What do you think of this fiasco? Is Gou justified in being upset, or is she just being bitchy? Is Haruka justified with his obliviousness, or should he really know better? What about Rin? What do you think of his pimpin', and what do you think about his confrontation with Haru? Is he being an asshole? Dayum, I should be one of those English teachers that pull discussion questions out of their ass.

Shout out to the reviewers: AnonymousPseudonymous (nice name!), Black-Wolf-2631, Elvent, Hey Those Beats, Animecherryblossem33, Into the Woods, and Shoe. You guys rock for feeding this hobbyist such wonderful reviews!

I guess that's it for today. Hasta luego, mis amigos!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Warning! Long chapter, fluff, drama, and angst!

* * *

"Look at the turtle!"

Kou was beside Haruka, absolutely flipping out at the vast array of marine life that surrounded them, lighting up the otherwise dark room with blue. Said turtle was _huge_, probably the largest Haruka had yet to see in the aquarium, and it passed by slowly, right in front of Kou who squealed in glee.

"That turtle was so big!" she exclaimed in an excited half-whisper, tightening her warm hold on Haruka's arm. He showed her a smile, patting her head.

Haruka reverted his eyes to the display, sighing with relief. Taking Kou to the aquarium was the right choice, seeing as how the girl gushed and squealed at every turn, how her eyes gleamed, how she hugged Haruka's arm lovingly every once in a while, so much that Haruka had begun to hope that maybe, just maybe, his past faux pas were justified. He also had to admit: seeing fish swim was kind of cool, though he wanted to eat them more than to gawk over them like his girlfriend chose to do.

Not that he was going to tell her that any time soon.

It was late in the evening despite their quickest attempts to come right after their swim meet ended. Ama-sensei had been particularly understanding, even allowing them to leave early - "I don't want to see you guys kissing, so do it at the aquarium instead." - though she was slightly disconcerted at Haruka's eagerness to _leave _swim practice. Nonetheless, they made the most of their short time, hitting the coral displays, smaller fish displays, the octopuses, the small sharks, and obviously the turtles, all within the twenty minutes they've been there. All that was left were the penguins, the rays, the large sharks, and the dolphin show.

"Haruka, look over there!"

Haruka snapped himself out of his thoughts and looked at the direction Kou was pointing, frowning when he saw nothing and stiffening in surprise when he felt a peck on the cheek. Before he could retort, he was dragged away to another display.

They ended up at the penguin and puffin display, gawking at the gaudy birds and pointing out one particular emperor penguin that bobbed its head up and down and flapped its wings for no reason.

"That one's Nagisa," Kou whispered devilishly, taking a picture of it.

Haruka learned that Kou had an undying rivalry of sorts with Nagisa for butchering her name - kind of like his with Rin, he mused - and that Kou really, really liked puffins, a tidbit of information he stored for future reference.

They soon left the penguin display, Kou tugging him eagerly to the next. The rays were underwhelming to Haruka - they didn't look appetizing at _all_ - but Kou seemed to love them, pointing at the largest one and remarking, "That's Rei!" It was an accurate statement; if he squinted, went cross-eyed, and turned his head at a forty-three degree angle, it looked exactly like Rei, down to the red glasses.

Doppelgangers aside, they made their way to the shark display. Kou was in awe of how large the sharks were compared to everything they'd seen, but Haruka found them dull and boring, nothing like the fiery, short-tempered image he'd built in his mind. He squeezed Kou's hand, taking in her beautiful red eyes and long red hair rather than the mako shark that swam past them. So alike, yet so different at the same time.

"Haruka, look at the sand tiger shark! _Look _at it! It's right in front of us."

Haruka looked up. True to Kou's word, the narrow-faced, big-toothed fish was passing right in front of them almost deliberately. He was yanked up to the tank beside Kou, who held out her phone.

"Let's take a picture and send it to Rin," she chirped. Haruka opened his mouth to protest, but Kou elbowed him lightly. He forced a neutral expression onto his face and wrapped his arm around Kou's shoulder, trying not to blink as the tell-tale shutter noise sounded. Kou broke away, humming happily, while Haruka remained fixed in place, rubbing his eyes with sudden tiredness.

He glanced at his watch, hoping to pass off as nonchalant. His eyes widened.

"Kou, we're going to miss the dolphin show," he all but exclaimed. Her eyes widened as well, and they quickly shuffled their way to the stage.

The dolphin show was spectacular, especially since Haruka had managed to push and shove them into good seats. The performance was a flurry of acrobatics, both from the dolphins and the handlers in the pool, each and every stunt causing Kou to squeal with glee. They were lucky enough to be seated in the area doused most with water, something Haruka was very happy about, and even the chill of the cool water did nothing to abate the excited gleam in Kou's eyes. At one point of the performance, Kou pointed at a dolphin that jumped eagerly up to a trainer.

"You're like that dolphin," she said sweetly, grabbing his shoulder and squeezing ever so slightly. "You're so graceful and handsome and _nice _like that dolphin."

Haruka had been compared to dolphins many times in his life, but he had never been so flattered by such a cheesy comparison. He made a joke to hide his embarrassment.

"You're going to leave me for a dolphin?"

Kou laughed, throwing her arms around him completely. "Never," she replied with such certainty it made his heart ache. "You're better than any dolphin."

This time, Haruka was the one blushing deeply while Kou was the one who remained composed.

"We're nearly at the end of our program now," a voice boomed across the stadium, "and as a special treat, we'll let one lucky person swim with the dolphins for free!"

The crowd roared chaotically, the people rising and shoving to be chosen. A person elbowed Kou accidentally, causing her to yelp in surprise and Haruka to growl. Without a second thought, he hoisted the girl onto his shoulders, gently taking her hands in his, supporting her, and sending a comforting glance up.

"You should try getting a swim with your dolphin boyfriend," he teased gently, and Kou smiled. She waved her arms spiritedly in the air, shouting at the top of her lungs.

In the end, she didn't get chosen, and the two of them watched a squealing young child and his mother swim. Kou was not discouraged at all, instead cheering happily for the child as if she was the one swimming with the dolphins. When Haruka asked why, Kou just smirked mischievously.

"I told you I wouldn't leave you for a dolphin, didn't I?"

Cheeky girl.

The show ended soon afterwards, and they walked inside the main building, hand in hand. Kou suddenly stopped, anchoring Haruka into place, and he turned around to look at her worriedly.

"What's up?"

Kou shuffled her feet.

"Thank you, Haruka," she whispered quietly. The cheery expression on her face was gone, and tears threatened to fall out of her eyes. He tensed, reaching up to her cheeks and wiping away the moisture.

"If you're thankful, don't cry," he said quietly. Her lips quivered and her eyes closed, but she continued.

"I really, really _do _like you Haruka," she whimpered softly, her eyes reopening to meet his with such a loving emotion that Haruka's knees felt weak. "And you made this the happiest day of my life."

She reached up, and her lips met his.

Haruka's first kiss was nothing like he expected. There were no fireworks or starbursts. The world did not darken until a single spotlight shone on them. He did not feel electricity jolt through his body and the magic lift him off his feet. In fact, it was painfully awkward and complete guesswork, but Haruka would be lying if the sweetness and the clumsiness of the action didn't cause his heart to beat faster, his face to flush, and he just wanted to just _hug _the sweet, sweet girl before him until his arms gave out.

When they broke off, that was exactly what he did. He felt the thin arms - so fragile and delicate, Haruka just wanted to protect them forever - wrap around his waist as well. Spectators be damned, he hugged her closer, just wanting to protect this wonderful girl forever and never, ever hurt her, or at least hurt the people who did, because she was Rin's little sister.

_She was Rin's little sister._

They broke off from each other slowly, suddenly hyper-aware of the strange looks they received and the remarks on teens being too expressive. Nonetheless, Kou reached for his hands, lacing hers tightly with his.

"I like you," she restated, eyes staring lovingly into his. He hesitated.

"I like you, too," he returned with as much sincerity as he could. They stared into each other's eyes some more, Haruka unable to find any clue of Kou's reaction to his words, until the heat of the moment faded away and they broke off awkwardly.

"Let's go to the gift shop," Kou suggested shyly, smiling slightly at Haruka.

He nodded.

* * *

"Haruka, do you think this will look good on my phone?"

Haruka quickly hid the stuffed puffin behind the display, turning around to face Kou. He eyed the seahorse charm that she held in her hands.

"It would look nice," he said softly, and Kou brightened. She quickly turned around and continued browsing through the gift shop's selection. Haruka took the opportunity to sneak past his girlfriend and pay for the puffin. Something caught Kou's eye, and she went up to him not moments after he paid, dragging him to a display.

"Look at these!" she gushed. "They're perfect!"

She was pointing at a shelf of marine-life figurines, particularly at the dolphins. Haruka suddenly tensed, but fortunately, Kou did not notice.

"They're so cute! I'm going to buy you one, okay? Wait here!" She snatched a figurine and disappeared, leaving Haruka staring at the shelf.

The dolphin figurines looked familiar. Very familiar. As in "I see it every time I take a bath because it's in my bathroom" familiar. His fists clenched tightly, tearing his eyes away from the display.

They were the same ones Rin bought for him right before the redhead left for Australia.

He remembered the days shortly after Rin's departure, when he was so off-beat by his friend's going that he'd practically locked himself in his bathroom whenever he wasn't swimming. He had placed the gift in the bathroom cupboard, which in hindsight wasn't a good idea because every time he looked at the thing, he would see red and want to fly to Australia just to strangle his friend. A few times, he even searched a few convenience stores, wondering where on Earth Rin had found it, just to be disappointed.

He really should've known it came from the aquarium.

His gaze shifted to the left, taking in the shark figurines beside the dolphins. Malice suddenly spiked in him, and he wanted to buy one and give it to Rin just to see him go through same trouble, but he knew that a) Rin probably forgot about the dolphin figurine and b) he wouldn't care anyways. How frustrating. Haruka couldn't do anything to ruffle him except beat him at races, which ultimately lead to Rin ruffling _him _anyways.

"Haruka! Haruka! Do you want to shark one too?" He blinked. Kou was beside him, probably had been for a while, holding the dolphin figurine in her hands.

"No, it's fine," he forced out, accompanying it with a smile.

"Do you like the dolphin?" she asked expectantly, holding out the figurine. Haruka didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

"Do you like the puffin?" he retorted instead, pulling out the plush from his bag. Kou blinked, startled, before taking the plush into her arms and smiling softly at it.

"Thanks, Haruka," she said quietly. Her gaze flickered onto the sharks. "Are you sure you don't want the shark?"

He took the dolphin from her hands, making room for his. "I'm sure."

By the time they left the aquarium, it was night. The day's excitement faded away, leaving the ride on the metro in a comfortable silence. The walk to her house was likewise silent, but Haruka could feel a more bittersweet emotion worm its way into the atmosphere. When they finally stopped in front of Kou's house, she turned around quietly, looking at him in the eye with a serious expression.

"Haruka," she began softly, clutching the puffin in her arms. "Why are you so nice to me?"

He blinked. What a weird question.

"Because you're my girlfriend," he replied. Kou sighed.

"Why are you dating me?" she pressed on.

"Because I like you." Haruka's lips were beginning to purse from impatience.

Kou was silent for a moment. "Do you really like me?"

Haruka blinked, incredulous. "Of course I like you," he said, forcing back the irritation in his voice. "I just said it today, didn't I?"

"You didn't mean it." Her eyes were accusatory. "Don't you think I didn't notice. You hesitated for a moment."

Haruka bit his lips, forcing the frustration away for fear of saying something he didn't mean.

"I was just distracted for a moment," he replied evenly. "But I really do like you."

Kou frowned. "Why do you like me?"

Haruka sighed. "Well, you're cute," he began. "You're kind, you're dedicated, you're hardworking, you're the sweetest girl I know."

"And I'm a good person like my brother?"

Ouch. His words were thrown back at him.

"Yes, you're a good person," he agreed quietly, dropping the topic.

"Why else do you like me?"

"Well, you're pretty. I like your hair and your eyes."

"Anything else?"

Haruka sighed, the irritation back at full force. "Kou, I don't understand why you're doing this, but if you ask me to list the things about you that I like, we'll be standing out here all night, and I still won't be done."

The flattery did not appease her at all, and she instead crossed her arms.

"Do you like my brother?"

He startled.

"He was my friend," he stated truthfully, his irritation disappearing to give way to unease.

"But he's dedicated and hardworking. He has red hair and red eyes, and you said yourself that he's a good person." Kou seemed to have lost all her patience. "You're dating me for my brother, aren't you?"

Haruka's mouth opened, then closed. Kou's brows tightened with anger.

"You only see my brother in me, don't you? You don't like me at all! You're just pretending!"

"I do like you!" Haruka retorted, his anger giving away to confusion.

"_Why_ do you like me?" Kou was yelling at this point, eyes tearing up. The sight sent a panicked shiver through Haruka's body, and he found himself blurting his thoughts.

"Because you're Rin's little sister!"

_Because you're Rin's little sister._

Strike three.

Kou's eyes went wide as Haruka realized his mistake too late, the puffin dropped onto the ground and forgotten.

"You don't like me," she started as a whisper, the moisture in her eyes spilling. She reached up to hide her eyes.

"You don't like me," she screamed, tears rushing down her face. "You like my brother!"

Haruka stopped breathing.

"Kou, that's not true," he said breathlessly, but an angry kick at the puffin from Kou caused him to flinch.

"Please, Kou," he pleaded, his brain going haywire at the sight of the girl sobbing before him. "That's not true at all. I like you because you're you, not because you're Rin's little sister."

"Be quiet," she forced out between gasps. He ignored her.

"I don't like Rin," he said, reaching out to her. "We rarely see each other, and when we do, we're just yelling each other and insulting each other. I don't like him at all."

"Shut up," she hissed.

"Kou, _please_-"

Kou raised a hand, tears still streaming.

"Just go away, Haruka-senpai," she said tiredly, the fight gone out of her eyes. Haruka flinched at the honorific. "Just leave me alone. We're breaking up."

He stared at her for a moment, hoping that she was kidding, before she turned around.

With that, she closed the door on him, both literally and figuratively, leaving Haruka standing outside like the biggest failure in the world.

* * *

A/N: Phew! What a long chapter! This almost hit 4,000 words, but I thought it'd be a better idea to split it into two. Too much going on in one chapter.

So. Three strikes and you're out, Haru. You just broke the poor girl's heart, and now, you have to face her pissed off older brother. Oooh, the Rinharu action!

This chapter was probably the hardest for me to write since such a drastic turn took place, from fluff to angst. The fluff was probably the hardest; I kept wondering, "Is this going to bore my readers? Is this really necessary?" the whole time. I kept thinking that the chapter was too rushed, or that Gou's and Haru's breakup convo should be shorter, but if I kept worrying about that, this chapter wouldn't be out now, would it? xD

Well then, reader. What do you think about this chapter? Was it too rushed? Was Gou's reaction too unrealistic? Was Haru too OOC? Why is Haru such a derp? Questions, questions.

The last chapter was strangely well received, with probably the fastest, most plentiful, and most wonderful reviews I've gotten in a while. Shout out to the reviewers: Animecherryblossem33, FayeFox, Elvent, Say-It, emerald, IntotheWoods, pennamesareforfancypeople (your pen name made me lol), Lumina Lulison. Ai wub yoo all.

Thank you to all who supported this story. I am honestly shocked at how much support its gotten despite me being a newbie in the fandom. I want to end on that, so see you all next time!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Warning! There is swearing and sex in this chapter because Rin is a playa.

* * *

Rin was hot.

The sweat trickled down his skin, jumping and shuddering with each thrust and grunt, before falling onto the bed wet with perspiration and the smell of sex. The body under him convulsed to his rhythm, his incredible pace, and he took delight in the loud mewls and whimpers of the woman under him.

"More, baby," she hissed, her nails digging into his back. "Pound it into me, babe."

He was more than happy to, snarling bestially as he thrust harder, smacking almost painfully into the nameless woman.

This was it, he realized gleefully as a particularly good pound threw the woman's head back in a moan. The simple, carnal desire. The heat pooling in his stomach. The tightness around his dick. There were no complicated problems, undying jealousies, and being eternally second-rate. All there was was _lust_, he was damn capitalizing on the incredible urge throbbing in his dick.

Then his phone sounded.

He cursed, halting his efforts and removing his erection, feeling the woman adjust herself with discontent.

"What's going on? Why did you stop?" she demanded, displeased. Rin shot her a look.

"It's my sister," he growled lowly, pulling the woman in for an apologetic kiss. "We'll get back to it twice as hard, babe."

The woman huffed but otherwise settled down.

"Hello?" he grunted into the phone. "What do you want, Gou?"

The other side was disconcertingly silent, save for a ragged breathing. Rin frowned, alarmed. Was she crying?

"What's wrong, Gou? Why are you crying?"

She whispered something, which Rin didn't catch. He asked her to repeat herself.

"...your fault."

The voice was slightly clearer this time, but Rin could only catch the last two words. His fault? That could mean anything.

"Gou, you're going to have to elaborate more," he commanded, hiding his worry with an assertive bite in his voice. It was apparently enough to provoke his sister.

"Haruka doesn't like me!" she suddenly exploded, sobbing. "We broke up, and it's _all your fault!_"

She paused, breathing in with finality.

_"_I hate you, Onii-chan!"

The phone went dead. Rin felt it slip out of his hands, but he didn't care.

"You sure that was your sister?" the woman asked, crossing her arms. "Sounded like a jealous bitch you dumped."

"Shut up."

His low snarl silenced the woman. He turned to glare at her, and she flinched.

"Say that again about my sister, and I'll kill you." The murderous tremors heightened. "Get out."

She did not have to be told twice.

Rin was left sitting silently on his soiled bed, fuming. Abruptly, he slammed his fist against the wall.

"That bastard, Haru," he hissed poisonously.

* * *

When Haruka returned to his house, he lethargically slipped out of his shoes and tore off his clothes, stumbling into the bathroom. He stared blankly at the tub as it filled with water, settling himself mechanically inside once it finished. The water was warm, comforting, and familiar, a solace in a wonderful evening gone wrong. He sank down, so the water reached right below his nostrils, closing his eyes.

He had failed.

He hurt Kou, and in turn, he hurt Rin.

He sank himself down further, water reaching the bridge of his nose and rushing into his ears, wondering how on Earth such a wonderful day could so completely turn around; just two hours ago, he was at the aquarium with Kou, confessing his affections and seeing the infectious happiness light up in the other's eyes, but now, here he was in his bath, dumped by the girl he was supposed to make happy.

_You don't like me. You like my brother!_

The accusation echoed in his head, and each time, Haruka could only feel befuddled. It was absurd. Preposterous. How did Kou ever reach the conclusion that Haruka held romantic feelings for someone who hated him and avoided him like the plague? True, they had been childhood friends, but Kou should know better than anyone how sour their relationship was. Kou was a reasonable girl. How could she think that Haruka liked Rin romantically?

But Kou was not reasonable at all an hour ago. She didn't understand the logic that Haruka presented, even though she was usually a rational girl. Just how deeply did she like Haruka to completely burst into tears _twice_ over the past two days?

He felt a slight headache coming about, reaching up to massage his temples. How painful, both physically and emotionally. Haruka would think twice before dating anyone else again.

His phone suddenly sounded, and Haruka half-heartedly reached for it, frowning when he saw a text from an unknown number.

_Get your ass to Samezuka's pool NOW. We need to talk._

_-Rin_

Haruka stared blankly. He forgot about Rin and his promise to not hurt Kou.

If one thing hadn't changed over the years, it was that Rin was incredibly short-tempered, particularly with promises.

Briefly, he humored the idea of ignoring the text, claiming ignorance if - no, _when _the short-tempered swimmer tracked him down, but the evening was bad enough. He didn't want the unavoidable consequences of his failure to escalate any more. He would face his rival with dignity and accept whatever punishment he no doubt deserved.

Besides, evoking Rin's wrath wouldn't be anything new. Haruka almost smirked at the déjà vu.

Reluctantly, he lifted himself out of the tub and dried himself, shooting one last glare at the dolphin figurine on the shelf. He walked through his house, picking up the trail of discarded clothes he left in his haste and putting them on. He examined his reflection briefly in a mirror, taking in his dead-eyed expression and his ruffled clothing. He looked like shit, but he definitely wasn't going to fix that, Rin be damned.

As he walked to his door, Haruka hesitated, turning around.

It would probably be the last moments of his current normalcy, he realized, urgently taking in his surroundings almost as a memento. He was dawdling, really, but one last glance at his house was good comfort.

With that, he turned around and left his house.

* * *

"Haru."

The familiar tenor of Rin's voice was distorted with barely constrained rage. Haruka looked up slowly from his seat against the Samezuka pool building.

"Get up." He did so in a slow and nonprovocative manner, as if Rin was a wild animal. His rival promptly turned around and stalked away, and Haruka knew better than to run away.

The door of the building opened with a muffled creak, and they stepped inside. Their echoed footfalls unnerved Haruka, sounding like an ominous countdown to his castigation.

"Sit," the redhead snarled, pointing at a corner of the building. Haruka did.

The fiery swimmer rummaged through a box in the corner, pulling out two cans of soda instead of the guillotine Haruka expected. Rin tossed one can to him, which he caught clumsily in his anxiety, and sat down beside him, opening the can with a crackly pop. Haruka followed, wondering if this was an elaborate test that Rin had prepared, then quickly refuting the thought because Rin functioned on impulse. Nonetheless, the casualness of their meeting unnerved him.

"So you broke up with my sister," Rin said suddenly. "What happened?"

Haruka almost laughed. It was just like Rin to jump right into the bush.

"We were on a date at the aquarium," he said. Rin scowled.

"I know that," he snapped, irritated. "I saw the god damn shark picture. Looked like you two were having the time of your life. So what the fuck happened? How'd it go from happy couple to teary breakup?"

Haruka sighed, leaning his head against the wall and turning away from Rin. "She asked some questions, and she wasn't happy with the answers."

"What questions?"

"What I like about her. Why. If I like her. I told her I like her for her personality and that I _do _like her, but..."

He trailed off. So much talking was making him uncomfortable, but Rin narrowed his eyes.

"But?"

"She got a different conclusion." Yes, he would just leave it at that.

To Haruka's surprise, Rin did not push the conversation, ignoring him instead. The vehement aura radiating from the other boy told him that Rin had not yet dropped the topic, though.

"Gou told me that it was my fault that you broke up," Rin said lowly, hacking into the tension. "Why did she say that?"

Haruka shuffled his feet uneasily, feeling his recent headache revive and an acridity settle in his stomach. How could he tell Rin that his sister broke up with Haruka because she thought he liked him? He couldn't. Not just because it'd probably insult Rin, but also because it would hurt Kou, and God dammit hadn't he hurt her enough?_  
_

"Are you ignoring me now?" Rin was looming over him, and Haruka scrambled for a response.

"No," he forced out honestly, placing a hand on the other's shoulder almost as a ward. "Ask Kou. I don't know."

Rin's eyes were incredulous. "Seriously? You always were the silent one, but now you're lying to me?"

"No," he forced out a second time, but with much more poison. Rin bared his teeth.

"You're lying. You know something. Just tell me."

Haruka exhaled roughly. Fine. If Rin was going to be that way.

"She said that I was dating her because of you," he hissed back, inhibition lost. "She said that I like you. Happy?"

That seemed enough to throw off the other boy, and Haruka took the opportunity to shove Rin away from the close proximity. Rin shook off his paralysis, but the laughably perturbed expression on his face remained.

"Is that why you broke up?"

Haruka nodded mutely, his anger dissipating.

Rin sat, befuddled and seemingly deep in thought, for an ephemeral few seconds. All at once, he overcame whatever lapse of control he had, eyes rekindling with a smoldering fire. He turned away jerkily from him, but Haruka saw without looking the intense, almost painful twitches on Rin's face that betrayed the inability of his muscles to display the full brunt of his anger. Haruka was dead. Haruka was _so _dead.

"You like me - You like me, my _ass_. _This _is the reason you broke up?"

Haruka grunted a confirmation.

"What are you going to do to me?" Haruka asked calmly, his composure directly contrasting with the situation. Rin did not answer, his shoulders still shaking from rage and his hand crushing the can with echoing cracks. They sat in silence, Haruka poised and Rin taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm down.

Soon the tremors stopped, and Rin straightened himself. The calmness unnerved Haruka more than the fury ever would.

"What I'm going to do to you," he muttered under his breath.

Rin finally turned to him, face rid of any sign of anger, tossing aside the empty coke can and moving deliberately towards him.

"So I was fucking a woman," the redhead began almost amicably, and Haruka wanted to plug his ears. "And she was _good_. Not too clingy or shy. Didn't misunderstand the whole thing and think we were dating or anything. Real loud too. I like the loud ones."

Haruka felt an uncomfortable shiver up his spine, wondering why on Earth Rin was talking about this, why Rin was moving uncomfortably close to him.

"So we were fucking, yeah," the other continued, oblivious to his discomfort. "Then we got interrupted by a phone call telling me that some bastard broke my sister's heart, specifically when I told him not to, and we never got to finish the awesome sex."

Haruka felt a resistance against his shoulders, knowing all too well that he was trapped in a corner by a vengeful Rin. The redhead clutched his shoulder tightly, nails piercing skin and drawing blood.

"You asked me what I'm going to do to you?" Rin's eyes were blazing incredibly. The redhead's other hand reached up to grab his chin, wrapping partly around Haruka's neck, and squeezed.

"You're going to help me enjoy my night, because you've ruined it enough."

Haruka bit his lips, willing the inevitable gasp not to escape. Rin just tightened his hold.

"You're going to be my slut, Haru," he hissed.

Haruka wheezed, and Rin took the opportunity to kiss him.

* * *

A/N: **There will be no non-con. All sex will be consensual****. **I really want to emphasize this. Also, thanks to Elvent for addressing it in a review. I appreciate the input!

UUUGGGHH. I rage quit! This chapter was such a pain to write because I had _no _idea how to present this. Originally, Rin was going to make Haru kiss him first, but that is so OOC and far-fetched and I don't even know how I'm supposed to make that work but I _needed _it to contrast with Haru's dating Gou and why are people so good at writing I can't even

Okay. Ahem. That aside, questions! Do you think Rin was OOC? What do you think of Rin's pimpin' around? What do you think of the chapter's pacing? Was this chapter boring? Haha, no need to soften the blow because _I _certainly thought it was.

Thanks to all who reviewed! It really exceeded my expectations. I say that a lot, but I do set up predictions and goals based on how much activity there is in this story and in the fandom. Reviewers: FayeFox, Elvent, Animecherryblossem33, Hey Those Beats, Ni-chan9, pennamesareforfancypeople, Gurrenn. Thank you!

Uhm, okay. Awkward ranting aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you next time!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Regarding the last chapter, I want to emphasize that **there will be no non-con**. It's all just bullying on Rin's part. Also, warning! Steamy make-out session! ;)

* * *

When Haruka kissed Kou not even a day ago, it had been sweet and endearing. It was patient but flooding nonetheless, like swallowing honey and feeling the sweet substance move warmly down your throat and fill you up with satisfaction. It was not intrusive; it paced itself per Haruka's preferences, dancing right between the edge of overwhelming and comfortable, but it nonetheless filled his being with images of puppies and kittens and unicorns and plain _affection _for the girl.

Rin's kissing was the exact opposite.

Rin kissing was aggressive and selfish, discarding Haruka's emotions in favor of dragging him into its pits, and whether one would feel terror or lust in those pits depended solely on the victim. It was a statement of dominance, forceful and draconian with its suffocating forwardness, and any time Haruka showed even a sliver of resistance, he was rewarded with a sharp bite to his lips or tongue and a tightening of the vice grip on his neck.

At first, Haruka pushed valiantly against the other, but the escalating nips and pain at his neck convinced him to just settle limply against the wall and hope the jostling wouldn't hurt him too much. Once he had surrendered completely, Rin had released his dangerously tight hold on his neck, moving the other hand to wrap over his shoulders and kissing him so hard that it took everything in Haruka not to egg the other on with whimpers and moans.

When they finally pulled back for air, Haruka could only cough and wheeze. Rin tightened his hold on his shoulder.

"Shut up," Rin snarled, his eyes no longer smoldering with anger but with a dark delight. It was no longer about Kou, Haruka realized before Rin covered his mouth once again.

Rin's hand on his chin moved to tug his hair, which Haruka complied with almost instantly because resistance would be futile and painful. He closed his eyes, willing all sensations to go away, just to shudder when Rin's tongue sidled with his strategically. The action was making Haruka hot, elevating him to uncomfortable temperatures, and he thought that if Rin didn't stop any time soon, he would die from the heat pooling at his groin.

Rin pulled back again, but this time Haruka controlled his wheezes. He tried to glare intently at the redhead, but he found his eyes crossing and his head being dipped into murky swamp water.

"You're really submissive, you know?" Rin's distinctly pleased voice broke through the haze. Haruka opened his mouth to reply, but Rin kissed him once more.

This time, Rin was much more deliberate with his statement, slowing down to find Haruka's weak points. They continued for what seemed like another hour, Rin becoming more pointed with his advances and Haruka closing his eyes, willing the scorching fog to disappear. It was getting harder to control his moans, because Rin's tongue was stroking cruelly at this one spot in this one way, and Haruka felt his synapses short-circuit. When the other lightly ran his fingers down Haruka's shirt, he jolted at let out a meek whimper.

He was vaguely aware of the other pulling away from his body and collapsed weakly against the wall. He was shuddering; his nerves were electrocuted, and it felt like star bursts were exploding everywhere in his body, particularly down his groin.

"I was going to ask you how it was, but it looks like I don't need to." Rin's voice was smug.

He painfully peeled his eyes open, taking in the other, who was now leaning over the forgotten cooler. Another coke was offered to him almost kindly, which Haruka attempted to grab but failed to with his trembling hands. Rin laughed.

"Come on. Let me help you up." Rin offered a hand, and Haruka found himself flinching away. Rin laughed again. "Don't worry your pretty face, Haru. I said I was making you my slut, but I'm not going to rape you or anything. Just do enough to teach you a lesson. It's not like I'm gay." The last line was said with a sneer.

Haruka slapped away the hand, glaring heatedly at the other. Rin just shrugged and placed the coke beside him before sitting at the edge of the pool, letting Haruka regain his breath and fight away the sensations in peace. The redhead had even begun to hum happily, and Haruka sent the darkest glare he could muster to his rival's back.

The Rin before Haruka was cheery, like the Rin from the past that Haruka had been trying so hard to restore, but at the same time, this was not the same Rin. The Rin he knew wouldn't derive pleasure from forcing him into a kiss. The Rin he knew wouldn't sexually abuse him as a punishment. The Rin he knew wouldn't laugh something like that off. Normally, any sign of Rin's former cheeriness would brighten Haruka immediately, but this time, he just felt sick, sick, _sick _to his stomach.

Rin did not like him in any way, Haruka realized, friendship included. Rin only liked asserting his dominance over Haruka. Rin's sexual display was just a cheap consolation for losing to Haruka in swimming.

It was pathetic.

But that also meant Haruka was pathetic because he enjoyed every minute of the kiss, as the tent in his pants indicated.

He threw the soda at the redhead's back, hearing a satisfying _thwak_ and an insulted yelp from Rin. The other turned to glare at him.

"You're sick," Haruka began shakily, his hands moving down to cover the erection, "for taking Kou's feelings and twisting it into _this_."

Rin stared at his hands, at his groin. "But you like me," he replied with a wolfish grin.

Haruka snarled, but nothing came out, so he stomped lividly away from the cursed building and the cursed redhead, ignoring how each step rubbed his jeans' fabric against his crotch and sent jolts of pleasure up his spine.

When he was sufficiently far enough from the redhead, he found himself stumbling, clutching his head, and replaying Rin's last line. Haruka viciously regretted that he never clarified that he did _not _like Rin earlier, when the statement was still true. _Damn _Rin! He always chained Haruka down with troubles; Haruka was not free, hadn't been free for a while now.

Haruka spat at the pavement angrily before unzipping his jeans to take care of his "problem".

He dreaded tomorrow's joint practice, when he would have to face both Kou and Rin in the same room.

* * *

A/N: As you may or may not have seen in the last chapter, I stated that **there will be no non-con**. Sorry for those of you expecting a steamy sex scene, but it _will _come. All in good time. And thank you **Elvent** for addressing this in a review! I was uneasy about Rin's actions in the previous chapter, but your review convinced me to address this concern.

This chapter was pretty short. I was considering lengthening this chapter, but I decided that would be overkill. This is a good place to stop, don't you think? Regardless, I apologize for the short chapter. The next one should be a longer one.

Here comes the questions for the reader. Was the make-out scene okay? What do you think about Haruka's reaction in the end? What do you think about Haruka's realizations at the end (that Rin used sex to distract himself from swimming and that Haru may/may not like him romantically)? Do you think they are justified? The questions!

Thanks to those of you who reviewed! Reviewers: Hey Those Beats, Lumina Lulison, Animecherryblossem33, imperativa, Elvent, pennamesareforfancypeople, iMakeMistakes, Chromegirl, Say-It. Gracias por todos!

So yeah. I guess that's it for today. See you in two days!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Warning! Some language and a small make-out scene. ;)

* * *

"Haru, are you okay?"

It was Makoto. Haruka turned away from the textbook before him to face his ever-perceptive friend.

"I'm fine," he replied flatly. Makoto frowned, unsatisfied with the answer, but dropped the issue nonetheless, sensing the hidden finality in Haruka's tone.

"Nanase! Tachibana!" Ama-sensei had halted the lesson in favor of yelling at them. "Eyes on the front!" The two hastily turned to face the teacher.

It was true. Haruka really was fine. As fine and dandy as one could be after being sexually assaulted by a childhood friend as punishment for breaking said friend's sister's heart - Rin had always been slightly excessive with his temper, but "making Haruka his slut" was just _too far_ - and consequently discovering that you _enjoyed_ the sexual administrations.

The implications made Haruka shudder. He would much rather be a masochist than to actually _like _Rin romantically, firstly because his douchebaggery was just _not okay_ and secondly because it would almost be like spiting Kou in making her prediction come true. Haruka would love to spite Rin, but not Kou. Never Kou. She was a sweet girl who didn't deserve the pain.

Speaking of the Matsuokas, Haruka was dreading the evening's joint practice with Samezuka. He prayed to Lady Luck that Kou had forgiven him and would talk to him like usual, and that Rin would go back to ignoring him and never interact with him again.

The sentiment was apparently not appreciated by Ama-sensei because the ditzy teacher threw a pencil at his head with a yell to pay attention in class.

* * *

Samezuka swim practice.

Lady Luck was not on his side. In fact, Lady Luck was openly spiting him, making the exact opposite of what he prayed for come true. Kou's eyes were swollen and red - Haruka felt a stab at his heart - and she was avoiding Haruka completely. Rin was sending him discrete glances of glee and smugness behind Mikoshiba's back. Haruka almost flipped the bird, but a sudden pat on his back startled him out of it.

"Hey there, Nanase!" It was Mikoshiba, grinning cheerily. "Hope you don't drown today!"

Great. What a wonderful way to start the swim meet.

They broke off, Kou again standing as far away from Haruka possible. Makoto, Nagisa, and even Rei shot them concerned looks, but a shout from Mikoshiba to start warm-ups jolted them from their thoughts.

The real kicker came when Haruka pulled himself out of the pool and Kou did not dry him. _That _raised eyebrows of alarm among the Iwatobi Swim Club. Haruka was suddenly pulled away into a huddle of everyone but Kou.

"Haruka-senpai, what happened? Your relationship with Kou seems sour today!" Rei exclaimed.

"Yeah! I mean Gou's usually all lovey dovey around you, even before you were dating!" Nagisa was almost freaking out.

"Haru, is everything all right?" Makoto this time, with the same tone of concern as earlier in the day. But this time, Haruka couldn't just dismiss the concerns when it was so blatantly obvious that something was wrong.

Haruka glanced at Rin and then at Kou. Better for them to think that he'd broken up with Kou than that he'd become Rin's sex slave.

"Kou and I broke up," he said flatly, the lack of honorifics scorching his tongue. Rei's and Nagisa's eyes widened with surprise, but Makoto's seemed to gleam with understanding. Good old Makoto, bless him and his ability to understand Haruka.

"Oh." It was kind of funny to see Rei so thrown off. "My condolences, then."

"We should get back to practice," Makoto said, voicing Haruka's unspoken need to get away from the conversation. Haruka made sure to spare him a thankful glance as they broke off.

The swimmers were now practicing breaststroke, with both Nagisa and Rin on the field. It was probably the only chance for Haruka to be away from his rival, and he hastily took the opportunity to approach Kou.

"Kou-"

"Kou-san," the girl interjected dully. Ouch.

"Kou-san," he continued, correcting himself, "I'm sorry for last night."

"Don't be," Kou - it's _Kou-san_ - replied flatly, staring at her shoes. "I enjoyed most of it."

Haruka hesitated. He had never been the most talkative, and facing someone who really didn't want to talk was not his forte. He waited a moment too late, as Kou-san suddenly exclaimed that the breaststrokers were done and she needed to dry Nagisa off. The blond was startled when the girl offered to dry him, probably guessing a confession, but one look at Haruka's eyes and he nodded understandingly, humoring the redhead.

The rest of the swim meet was thankfully uneventful, with no more approaches by Rin and drowning incidents. The only noteworthy "event" was that Haruka's already low opinion of Rin diminished thoroughly throughout the meet, seeing as the other had become lazy with his swimming. The sex was getting to Rin's head, Haruka reasoned, and dominating over Haruka in sex seemed more than enough to compensate for the losses in swimming.

Haruka couldn't recognize his old friend anymore.

After practice, Rin had approached the Iwatobi Swim Club, asking for a private conversation with Haruka. The others were surprised but wrote it off as brotherly concern, but Kou-san seemed displeased, walking away from the conversation.

"And if said no?" Haruka had challenged. Rin just sneered.

"We had a deal didn't we?" the other shot back.

_You're going to be my slut._

Rin was asking for sex.

The proposition outraged Haruka, and he almost opened his mouth to protest that Rin never established it as a _long-term_ thing, but suddenly, images of the previous night, of hot kisses and moans, suddenly abounded in Haruka's head. It was enough to send a jolt of electricity up his spine.

"Alright," Haruka replied slowly, hating himself and his answer. "We can talk."

Rin grinned roguishly as he led Haruka away from the crowd and into a closet.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Rin threw Haruka against the wall, causing him to gasp with shock, and pinned him down with firm grips on his shoulders. The redhead was attacking his mouth, ravaging it, and Haruka hated, hated, _hated_ the tightness in his trunks.

They continued like that, Rin pressing his lips against Haruka's and teasing with his tongue in the most mind-blowing ways, and Haruka trying to stay still, trying not to let his moans out. He was _hot_, he was _so hot_, it was like the heat of Rin's mouth was travelling directly through his body, to his groin, and it was just so mind-numbingly good and painful at the same time that Haruka just wanted to die.

Rin pulled back from his lips, causing Haruka to almost whimper in protest. The redhead trail kisses down his neck. "How's my sister?" he murmured quietly after a lick at the nape of Haruka's neck. Haruka bit back a moan.

"She seems upset," he managed to force out evenly before a gasp escaped his lips as Rin circled a finger teasingly around a nipple.

"Why" - his breath suddenly hitched when the finger ran directly over the nipple - "aren't you swimming seriously?"

"Hmm?" Rin grunted nonchalantly. "I don't know what you're talking about. I am swimming seriously."

"Don't lie - _aah!_" Rin had replaced his finger with a mouth now, suckling and tonguing the nipple sensually. It was enough to jolt Haruka out of his reverie, and he pushed the redhead away forcefully.

"What are you doing?" Haruka didn't recognize his own voice, slightly high with panic. Rin smirked, eyeing his erection smugly.

"Making you feel good," he purred, and Haruka cursed the accuracy of the statement as Rin's sultry tone went straight to his dick. For a moment, Haruka feared that Rin would continue, that they really would end up having sex in a closet, but the other turned away, running a hand through the red locks.

"Sorry, Haru," he said without a trace of regret. "We'll have to stop for today. I have a woman to meet."

Haruka blinked. A woman?

_A woman?_

He suddenly saw red.

"Then why did you do this?" Haruka hissed, his fists clenching painfully. "Why did you do _this _when you already have a woman to have sex with?"

Rin glanced back at him questioningly. "Why not? It's not like we're dating or anything."

Haruka opened and closed his mouth, so incredulous that he forgot seventeen years of learning the Japanese language. The other ignored him, opening the door cautiously, checking for witnesses, and motioning for Haruka to follow, but Haruka _really _didn't want to follow Rin at the moment. Haruka stomped out, brushing violently against Rin and stalking away to where his friends were waiting.

Rin only wanted him for the sex, he realized as he walked angrily through the halls. No, it wasn't a realization. He knew it since last night, but the _nerve _of Rin to pull Haruka away into a closet when he _already _had sex for the night, when there was _no reason __whatsoever_ to fool around with Haruka, and then to just _dismiss him completely_ when they were done without regard to Haruka's feelings - Rin needed to _die_. He absolutely needed to _die_.

He needed to die for making Haruka feel this way. And Haruka needed to die for wanting Rin despite knowing better.

* * *

A/N: SOoo yeah. Uneventful chapter. Unfortunately, my plans for the middle part are kind of murky, but whatevs.

Uum. Questions! What do you think of Haru's attraction to Rin? Do you think it's physical or emotional? What about Gou ignoring Haruka? Is she justified in this, or is she just being emotional? What about Rin not caring about winning in swimming because he wins in sex? What does that say about him as a person?

Thank you reviewers! Lumina Lulison, Elvent, iMakeMistakes, Animecherryblossem33, Hey Those Beats, pennamesareforfancypeople. You all are awesome! Or OSM as my friend says it.

One last thing. I assure you that this fic is actually relatively unsmutty. They will only have sex once or twice, and all of it will be consensual. Rin is just an asshole pimp. xD What can you do?

'kay. Anyways, thanks for reading the latest installment of this fic. I'll see you next time!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Warning! Sexual scenes and bad luck!

* * *

Haruka glanced at the clock beside his bed. Twelve-thirty. It was already Sunday.

He turned around, burying his head in the pillows, trying desperately to fall asleep, but alas! Images of just three hours ago resurfaced in his head. His breath quickened, and he angrily tossed the covers aside, sitting up on the bed. He cursed the heavens for the broken pipes, for the cold shower that was not an option for the tightness in his shorts.

He reached out blindly in the darkness, searching for the box of tissues that he'd placed on his nightstand with innocent intentions. He cursed again, this time at Rin, as he pulled down his shorts and his underwear, freeing the erection.

He hated Rin, he thought as he moved his hands up and down on the erection. He hated him for everything he did, how he suddenly ignited Haruka's seemingly nonexistent libido, how he touched him in such erotic ways, how he made Haruka hopelessly addicted to Rin's body, how he reduced Haruka into masturbating at the dead of the night just three hours after their latest sexual romp.

Groaning, Haruka threw his head against the wall. His hand wasn't enough. No matter how much he tried, he could never be as skilled as Rin. No, he needed an image. An image... like the one three hours ago...

_Haruka felt the air leave his lungs as he was tackled against the wall, but this time, he wasn't surprised. He was ready for Rin's aggression, for Rin's incessant need to dominate, and laid still, completely accepting the harsh kisses. It was good, it was so good, and Haruka found himself wrapping both his arms and legs around the other. As the other sucked on his lower lip and ran a tongue skillfully into his mouth, Haruka groaned, pushing his pelvis into Rin's._

_The kissing ended quickly as Rin pulled away from his lips. Haruka found himself grunting in protest because Rin's kisses were his favorite, but a warning nip quickly silenced him. Rin was kissing his neck down to his collar bones, teasing with his tongue but never actually sucking. Haruka leaned into the other's neck, hoping to return the favor, but he found a harsh hand yanking his head back by his hair._

_"No hickeys, Haru," Rin growled. Haruka recoiled, insulted that Rin would pin him against the wall and ravage him as much as he wanted to but wouldn't accept a hickey from Haruka, and he opened his mouth to retort. Haruka's snarl suddenly gave way to a mortifying yelp when he felt a hand palming his crotch._

_"R-Rin," Haruka forced out, suddenly not so keen on the action. He unwrapped himself, trying to push the other away, but the unzipping of his pants shocked him into a halt._

_"Haru." The anger and darkness was still present, but now, there was something more. Rin was staring at him with so much raw emotion that Haruka froze, unable to break away. Haruka barely registered the waistband of his underwear being pulled away._

_"Haru," he repeated, breaking the eye contact to nuzzle Haruka's neck again. Rin's hand touched his erection again, but this time without the fabric impediment. Haruka bit back a moan._

_"No, don't do that." Rin's low baritone voice vibrated against Haruka's throat, and he shuddered. "I wanna hear you. I told you I like it loud."_

_"Someone will hear," Haruka hissed back, voice hitching when the redhead dug his thumb into his slit. Haruka threw his head back, completely dizzied by the star-bursts exploding around him._

_"Let them hear," Rin replied. His free hand peeled up Haruka's shirt, and suddenly, Haruka felt a wet, probing tongue flicking at his nipple in time with the friction on his dick._

_"Let everyone know that you're my slut," Rin continued, hissing._

_All of a sudden, the hand pumping his erection and the mouth sucking at his nipple were no longer gentle or pleasant, and Haruka cried out in pain, both physically and emotionally._

_The world promptly exploded with blinding white light._

Haruka stared at the liquid splattered on his hand and his covers, then at the dolphin figurine that Kou-san bought for him on their date. He suddenly snatched it and threw it with all his strength at the wall, hearing a sharp crack of collision. He buried his face in his free hand.

"What am I doing?" he murmured, voice cracking.

* * *

A week passed by since Thursday's joint practice as a blur of confusion and overall decay of Haruka's life.

On Friday, a sudden storm had completely quashed any chances of Haruka swimming away his concerns, trapping him and the other club members in Kou-san's house as refuge. It was a poor choice, at least for Haruka, because being in the house so familiar to his childhood had only worsened his already black mood. Makoto was kind enough to keep Rei and Nagisa at a distance, leaving Haruka to stare into the pouring rain, revisiting memories of Rin visiting his house on Valentine's day, Kou-san staring at him with a blush, Kou-san crying during the break-up, Rin kissing him in a choke-hold - he couldn't believe that just a week ago, everything had been fine.

The only positive thing of Friday was that Kou-san seemed less intent on ignoring him, even asking him how his day was, but as soon as he tried to bring up their break-up, the bright eyes would dim and she'd coolly turn away. It seemed that Kou-san had yet to forgive him.

On Saturday, Haruka's poor luck only escalated when he found that his pipes were broken. The repairman would not arrive until Sunday, and for the mean time Haruka would have to go bath-less. It was bad enough on a day when Haruka was in a good mood, but after a shitty week and a day spent without swimming, Haruka needed, needed, _needed_ a bath. He had locked himself in his room, wondering why this was happening to him, why Rin was doing this to him, why Rin changed so much, and was it his fault? He couldn't believe how lazy the other had gotten about swimming, especially when swimming was so ingrained in his nature.

He didn't spend the entire day in his room, however, as Rin had texted him, commanding him to "get his ass to Samezuka" for some "fun time". He had obliged without a fight because he was so worn down by all the worries and happenings. He'd be lying if he said having "fun time" with Rin wasn't an escape from the stress. As much as it hurt, and as much as he hated the bullying, he had to admit that Rin was a good kisser.

On Sunday, he had snapped out of his gloom, searching for solace that did not involve a homosexual affair. He spent the day stretching, exercising, even asking Makoto to join him to tear his thoughts away from Rin and Kou-san and to what was really important in his life: swimming. He needed to do his best in swimming because Rin wasn't, and seeing Rin so indifferent towards water felt like a huge chunk of his childhood was ripped from his heart. His productivity was rewarded with a relatively competent repairman, whom Haruka rewarded profusely with a few dishes of mackerel.

On Monday, there were strange looks all around. The freshmen whispered things behind his back, pointing at him and glaring at him, and at one point, a girl went up to him and accused him of being a "heartless bastard". Kou-san's friend was apparently the perpetrator, having noticed her friend's downed mood and swore revenge against whoever caused it.

Kou-san had approached him during the swim meet and apologized profusely, which Haruka took with a reassuring nod. It wasn't the girl's fault, and in hindsight, Haruka deserved the abuse. The rest of the day was spent practicing and preparing for the upcoming tournament.

On Tuesday, Haruka endured hours of rumors and angry glares just to endure yet another joint practice with Samezuka. Much to his disappointment, Rin did not even acknowledge Haruka's newfound effort in swimming, no longer taking the sport or their original competition seriously at all. Haruka already so upset by this revelation that seeing Rin leave _again _with another woman sent Haruka into a fit of fury. Mikoshiba had been kind enough to let Haruka swim in the pool for another hour after practice, but not even that could purge the horrible acid eating away at his heart.

He went home that day with a worried Makoto, seething and completely furious because Rin wasn't Rin anymore and it was probably all his fault. He hated how he had hurt Rin by winning him in swimming, but he hated even more how he had torn Rin away from swimming because of a stupid break-up and a stupid punishment. Haruka hated himself, hated Rin, even hated _Kou-san _for initiating the whole thing in the first place, then promptly reverted to hating himself for blaming the girl when in truth, everything was Haruka's fault. And Haruka needed to fix everything.

(Looking back on the week's progression, Haruka could only conclude that he hated everything and that Rin was the root of all his problems.)

It wasn't until Wednesday that Haruka decided to do something about Rin.

* * *

A/N: Asldrtgaruga yeeeaah I don't really know. At this point, I'm really scrambling around for the specifics.

Rinharu angst and smuttiness this time! (Wow, Chrome apparently accepts _smuttiness_ as a real word.) Anyways, this chapter was more or less a practice at writing lemony scenes and setting the stage for something to actually happen. I can only pray that what I have in store isn't as completely shit as I am inclined to believe. I'll have you know I practically detailed the entire rest of the plot just yesterday. Curse my incompetence as a writer!

Well, we can't end without our routine questions for the readers, can we? What do you think of Haru's mental state as all these unfortunate events pile on each other? What do you think Haru has in store for Rin? How do you think Gou feels at this point?

Thanks to the reviewers: Elvent, Animecherryblossem33, iMakeMistakes, pennamesareforfancypeople, Hey Those Beats, Hezabell. Lots of good input this time! I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback.

Wow, it's Friday. I thought it was Thursday. Anyways, see you next time, which should be... Sunday! (For me at least xD)


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Warning! Swearing and some "steaminess"! (I wonder why I put these warnings up because it's not anything new but I'm just like *shrugs*).

* * *

"You want to challenge me to a race?"

Rin was incredulous. Hilarious, really, because just a week ago he'd be overjoyed to race Haruka. Not this particular Wednesday night at Samezuka's pool, apparently.

"You called me out in the middle of the night when I could be boning a girl to race," he restated. Haruka scowled.

"Whether you'd be 'boning a girl' has nothing to do with this," Haruka replied frostily.

"You called me out in the middle of the night under the impression that we're boning, and then you tell me to race," Rin restated once more. Haruka had an inexplicable urge to punch the redhead.

"You could say that," he began venomously, "but I never _said _we'd 'bone', as you call it. _You're _the one that assumed such a thing."

"Well, I'm not doing it." Rin turned around, showing the back of his Samezuka track suit and making his way to the door. Haruka found his feet moving and his hand reaching for Rin's shoulder, and the other turned around with a vicious glare.

"_What_," he snarled. Good question. Haruka had yet to think of a course of action.

"We're going to race," Haruka growled back with what he hoped was assertiveness, "because you're not swimming seriously."

The combined force of Haruka's intent at that last statement was enough to fracture the anger in Rin's eyes for more than a moment, and the redhead shrugged off his hand and turned away.

"I told you before. I don't know what you're talking about," Rin growled. True, but that time had been when Haruka was pinned in a Samezuka closet and had completely submitted to the redhead. That time, Rin had been completely assured, whether from the sex or from the dominance Haruka did not know.

It didn't matter, though, because here and now, while Rin was stripped from his outlet, Haruka could read him like an open book.

"Then race. Just one fifty." Haruka made sure to soften the bite in his voice. Rin's stiff shoulder line did not relax, and Haruka prepared to drop the bomb.

"We'll make out afterwards. Whoever wins gets to take charge."

_That _got Rin's attention. The incredulity returned to Rin's face, but this time, he was completely nonplussed.

"Take charge? Like, _top_?" Rin forced out finally. Haruka nodded.

"Come on, Rin," Haruka murmured quietly. Rin's alarmed face - Haruka wished he could take a picture of it - stared at his before glancing at the glistening pool. A familiar longing flashed in his eyes.

_There__!_

There it was, the insatiable urge to swim he saw in Rin's eyes back when he was a child, back when this whole fiasco didn't start. Haruka almost jumped for joy. In hindsight, he should've been disappointed because it only came about by tying swimming with sex, but Haruka didn't care anymore. The end justifies the means, as Ama-sensei told him once.

Haruka knew from experience that Rin would be too prideful to openly admit defeat, so he walked to his duffel bag against the wall, pulling a pair of goggles and tossing it at Rin, who caught it clumsily. He began tearing his clothes off, feeling satisfied as he heard Rin do the same. Soon enough, they wore nothing but their trunks, their swim cap, and their goggles, facing each other solemnly.

"I'm going to make you pay _so bad_ when I win," Rin snarled. Haruka smiled lightly.

"_If_ you win."

"Shut the fuck up, Haru."

They readied themselves on the starting blocks. A tense count, and off they went into the water.

Rin's dive was as powerful as Haruka remembered, and Haruka was distinctly pleased that the other put enough effort into the swim to gain a lead with the dive. That, of course, didn't mean Haruka was keen on losing, and he powered his strokes intently.

Haruka remembered the first time they raced in Samezuka's pool, just one day after their botched reunion at their former swim club. At that time, Haruka, though fast, was sloppy with prolonged disengagement, and Rin, despite taking a break from swimming, was sharp with training. Now, it was almost as if their positions were switched, with Haruka feeling the rhythm of his strokes after just a few days of practice and Rin growing increasingly frustrated with the inability of his limbs to coordinate like he wanted to. He could feel the tension in the water, the passion and intent radiating from Rin, and the familiarity of it elated him.

He did it, he thought. He restored Rin's passion in swimming.

When Haruka finally emerged from the water, hand touching the pool wall, he heard an angry splash beside him.

"That - That wasn't - !" Rin was furious, but this time not at Haru. He seemed at a complete loss of himself. "Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything," Haruka said calmly. The adrenaline of the race was leaving his system, and without the euphoria fogging his head, Haruka realized that things weren't as great as he hoped. Rin was competitive again, yes, but only because of the sex. It was all about the sex.

"Get out, Rin," Haruka murmured quietly. "Dry yourself. I won."

"I _know _you won, Haru," Rin snapped. "I don't need you to rub it in."

It was so like Rin to focus his anger on something, anything when he was at a loss. The redhead nonetheless pulled himself out of the pool, drying himself, but his characteristic confidence was gone. Rin was a jittery mess of nerves.

Haruka followed soon after, taking a seat beside Rin as he dried himself. The other was stiff, nervous even, and Haruka turned him around by his shoulders so they were facing each other just millimeters away. Rin's gaze was obstinate but unsure.

"Well? Are you just going to _stare _at me the whole time?" Rin snarled.

"I won."

"I _know _you won, and I know what that means. Get it over with already!"

"I'll kiss you, okay? Just once."

"This isn't a god damn nature documentary. _Get on with it_."

Haruka gingerly grabbed Rin's chin with one hand, angling the other's face. Suddenly, a wave of doubt washed over him. What was he doing? Would initiating the sexual romp do anything to help at all? And it was his first time initiating a kiss. What was he supposed to do?

But... he wanted this. Because Rin's fooling around with Haruka was just self-esteem issues, a way to dominate over Haruka to assure his own self-worth. And Haruka would be lying if the ruby eyes, the defined features, and the plush lips didn't cause butterflies in his stomach.

They stared at each other, Rin's gaze trembling with anticipation, and Haruka placed his lips gently on Rin's.

Haruka began the kiss lightly, brushing his lips gently with the taunt ones on Rin. He gently nuzzled their lips together, relishing in the sweetness of the action as opposed to the insatiable lust that characterized all of their former kisses. He wanted to show Rin that it didn't have to be about dominance, that Rin could be a good swimmer and a good brother and just a good person overall without throwing Haruka against the wall. He hoped dearly that his message got through, because the soft plush of Rin's lips was certainly making Haruka feel jittery himself.

It was strange, really. The whole situation was just one big "what the fuck". Haruka was Rin's supposed sex slave, a circumstance born from Kou-san's unfortunate attempt at romance with Haruka. It was sick in every conceivable way, but yet, Haruka found the sweetness of Rin's lips like honey, like the awkward kiss he shared with Kou-san, and he was strangely okay with it.

It didn't last long, though.

Rin suddenly dug his nails into Haruka's scalp, causing him to gasp in surprise. The redhead took the opportunity to shove his tongue into Haruka's mouth, pushing with suffocating force. He pulled away suddenly, taking in Haruka's startled appearance.

"I don't need your pity," Rin hissed before throwing Haruka onto the floor and covering his mouth again.

_No_, Haruka wanted to say. It wasn't pity. It wasn't pity at all. But the words wouldn't come out, possibly because of the tongue forcing itself vehemently down his throat or the full weight of Rin's body on his chest, pushing away all the air in his lungs. He felt a hand slither into his trunks, grabbing at Haruka's hardness.

"R-Rin," he coughed out when the other pulled away slightly. He was rewarded with a painful squeeze at the base of his cock and a sharp nip on his lips. _That's not what I meant_, Haruka wanted to say, but the plea was swallowed by Rin. The hand pumping his erection, the fingers playing with his nipple, and the mouth suffocating his were combining forces to sent jolts of pleasure up Haruka's spine, and he wondered hazily what he was trying to do earlier.

It wasn't supposed to be like this, Haruka thought as Rin's thumb digging into his slit made him moan obscenely. It wasn't supposed to be like this at all.

But it felt good, and that was enough for Haruka for now.

* * *

A/N: I don't even know like I can't even

Remember back in chapter five when I said Haru was supposed to initiate the kiss? Well I figured I might as well place it here. It was all sweet and fluffy and I like sweet and fluffy, though that might not be apparent given how many sex scenes there are in this story. xD Shipping will ruin your life!

So, reader. What did you think of Haru's plan? Did you think it would work? If not, what factors made you think it wouldn't? Also some questions on the story in general. What do you think of the pacing? What about the plot? What about the way things are written? I guess I'm basically asking for some critique.

To the reviewers: Elvent, Animefan00, iMakeMistakes, Arelinna, pennamesareforfancypeople, thisgirldanielle. Free internet cookies baked with love! I hope you om nom them.

I'm glad this chapter came around because it's like the first in three chapters to actually have something happen. In the next (or next next) installment, there will be some drama introduced. ;) See you then!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Yeah, usual warnings. Also, a reply to an anon.

Violet: I refer to just touching because they sadly won't be having sex any time soon, seeing as their relationship is horrible and neither of them know anything about gay sex anyways. I don't know what to call just touching (other than 'touching' but it feels too blunt to me), so you'll find me using weird phrases like "sexual romp" and "fun time" a lot.

* * *

So Wednesday didn't go as planned.

That was okay, Haruka reassured himself. That was completely fine. He didn't expect it to go well anyways, and he could just spend another day in class planning while ignoring Ama-sensei's lesson and the collective dislike from his classmates. It had really blown up beyond Haruka's expectations, considering that the rumors were originally confined with the first-years. Now, his classmates had one more reason to spite him beside his girly name.

"Nanase-kun! Pay attention in class!" Ama-sensei again. The teacher was not pleased, showing this very thoroughly by throwing a pen at Haruka's head. Laughs and giggles all around, and somewhere to his right he heard a muttered, "serves you right, fucking asshole."

An angry aura from Makoto attracted Haruka's attention, and a gentle touch on the shoulder calmed the other down. A glaring Makoto was quite a sight to behold, something Haruka both appreciated and disliked because the only times it came about was seemingly on Haruka's stead. It was nice to have a friend that cared - Nagisa was sometimes obtuse, Rei was a recent addition, and Rin was just an asshole - but rest assured, Haruka could fare well against a bunch of misinformed and immature teenagers if he survived an angry, sex-deprived Rin.

An exasperated shout from Ama-sensei informed Haruka that it was study hall. He reclined against his chair, dreading the day's joint practice, when his textbooks were suddenly knocked on the ground.

"Sorry, Haruka-chan," the boy said, and Haruka recognized his voice as the one who cursed him earlier. "My hand slipped."

He shot a look at the boy - Daichi Watanabe if memory serves - and the small posse that surrounded him. "Don't call me that."

Watanabe-san laughed with false amity. "Sorry. You're so pretty, I couldn't resist."

Well then. Haruka hated his girly name long, long, long before the whole fiasco with Rin came up, and to top it off, Rin was sexually harassing his "pretty face" as well. Haruka could eat the shit all week, but enough was enough. He stood up abruptly, glaring darkly at Watanabe-san.

"If you swam, water wouldn't like you," Haruka snapped. _He _certainly thought it was a legitimate insult, but the incredulous look on Watanabe-san's face rivaled that of Rin's.

"You're a freak," he replied, weirded-out more than insulted. Before Haruka could tie the water's dislike of Watanabe-san with his mother, Makoto suddenly pushed himself between the two parties.

"I would appreciate if you stop bullying my friend," Makoto said kindly, but Haruka could hear his voice waver with barely constrained indignation. Watanabe and Co. exchanged glances before backing away with a collective "tch!", leaving the two friends alone.

"Haru, ignore them." Makoto's voice was warm and concerned as always. "They're just mean and misinformed."

Haruka crossed his arms, shuffling his feet with irritation. "I don't need you to take care of me."

Makoto looked softly into his eyes, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. "I know you can take care of yourself, Haru, but you know you can tell me anything, right?"

_Wrong_. Haruka couldn't tell him about Rin.

"Right," he said nonetheless.

* * *

Rin's arrogance was gone on this particular Thursday joint practice, which Haruka hoped resulted from last night's efforts. He no longer shot smug glances or shit-eating smirks at Haruka, instead stiffening and pointedly turning away when he came within talking distance. Kou-san had noticed this as well.

"Haruka-senpai, did you talk to my brother?" she asked during one of their breaks. Haruka made sure to send her a reassuring smile.

"We sorted some things out." His gaze softened. "Listen, Kou-san, about the break-up-"

"_Oh_, would you look at that! Mikoshiba-senpai is calling me! I better get going!" The redhead scurried away like a mouse from a cat. Haruka restrained himself from pawing his hair in frustration.

The majority of the swim meet was spent going through the practice routine or tolerating Nagisa's incessant bragging of his new yellow flip flops- "It's my favorite color!" or "I got it on sale!" - and by the end of it, Haruka was exhausted. His mood was shot, and more likely than not, Rin was going to piss him off again by either leaving with another girl or violating Haruka yet again.

The latter was proven right when Rin dragged Haruka to the restroom, sitting himself stiffly on the toilet seat.

"I won today," Rin hissed, crossing his arms.

Haruka blinked. He didn't realize that his proposal was still going, but then again, this was Rin. If Haruka didn't tell him straight out, he would assume to his convenience.

"You did," Haruka agreed slowly. They had another relay, both Rin and Haruka swimming freestyle, and the redhead's more insistent swimming was the only thing that Haruka got out of the race.

"Get on your knees," Rin snapped. Haruka did, watching wide-eyed as the other pull down his trunks. Rin's hand suddenly fisted in Haruka's hair.

"Suck."

Haruka blinked, shrinking back.

"You want me to suck on..."

"My dick. What else? Get on with it."

Rin yanked him closer to his groin, and Haruka's lips pursed back in shock. He stared up at Rin with pleading eyes, and for a moment, the hardness in those orbs faded away. Then the pressure on his hair increased.

"We don't have all day."

Haruka swallowed uncomfortably, propping Rin's..._doohickey_ up with his hands. He gingerly placed his lips on the tip, forcing himself not to pull away. A slight tightening on his scalp told him that he'd better hurry up and take it into his mouth or face Rin's wrath.

Haruka had heard vague stories of fellatio from his classmates' gossip, and the image never failed to make him uncomfortable. It was always a bizarre concept to him. He would much rather keep his genitalia away from a dirty mouth and vice versa, thank you very much. Maybe it was because he was so inexperienced with love and sex and all its shades, but if given a choice, Haruka would never, ever engage in a blowjob.

At the moment, however, he had no choice. As he ran his tongue uncomfortably along the shaft, he felt it harden slightly. He was doing _something _right, apparently. Rin suddenly laughed a dry chuckle, and the hand in Haruka's hair began stroking his head.

"You suck. Both literally and figuratively," the other murmured quietly, almost sardonically. "But why does it feel so good?"

They continued like this, Haruka willing himself to think of popsicles and ice-creams instead of public restrooms and phallic objects, and Rin's breaths growing more and more raspy, whispering his name in hisses. The sound of Haruka's name being called by Rin lifted his body's temperature a few degrees, and Haruka could only realize that this was the first time he pleasured Rin, and not the other way around. (Using the word _pleasured _left a nasty aftertaste on Haruka's tongue, though).

"Shit, Haru," Rin practically moaned when Haruka trailed up the shaft's underside. "Like that. _Uugh_, you're so good."

Haruka felt his cheeks flush and a pooling heat at his stomach, obliging to Rin's wishes with a long, sensual lick. He was starting to get used to the process (not the feeling of it; Haruka would probably never get used to the feeling), and he would have eased into the process more had a creak from the adjacent stall not startled him out of his concentration.

Haruka pulled back, alarmed, but the gentle fingers in his hair tightened painfully. He looked up at Rin's expression, horrified.

"Keep sucking," Rin hissed. _Now _Haruka was one-hundred percent sure that whoever entered the restroom had heard them.

Haruka's brain was screaming at him to get a hold of himself and _stop_, but his nerves were short-circuiting. He numbly engulfed Rin's cock with his mouth once again, powered by the nauseatingly juxtaposed terror and eagerness to please swirling in his head. Somewhere outside of his panic, he heard a tell-tale rustle of changing clothes, and only the deafeningly loud noises of slurping and barely constrained moans could distract Haruka from the other presence.

The newcomer was rustling a plastic bag now, probably stuffing clothing into it. If the person thought anything of the suspicious noises from the adjoining the stall, he showed no indication. Haruka wanted to see the person's expression, if only to confirm to the dread eating away at his stomach.

Haruka suddenly sensed Rin's stomach constricting, and the redhead yanked Haruka's head away harshly. Not one second later, a stream of whiteness shot out, splattering on the floor, on the walls, on Haruka's face. They both said nothing, breaths stilled and ears strained.

Haruka gave Rin a blowjob. In a restroom stall. With a witness. And Rin ejaculated on his face.

Haruka's brain could no longer compute - syntax error.

A flash of movement from the corner of his eyes attracted Haruka's attention, and briefly, he viewed through the gap at the bottom of the stall a pair of yellow flip-flops rushing out of the stall. The restroom door gave a bang as the person fled the room.

Yellow flip-flops.

Rin had snatched an obscene amount of toilet paper, cleaning himself and Haruka with angry mutters, but Haruka paid no heed. He was too busy recalling earlier that day, when Nagisa had gone up to him and bragged about the bargain, fortunately-colored yellow slippers he had gotten the other day.

"Haru, you okay?" Haruka snapped his head around, taking in Rin's raised eyebrow. He nodded, hastily pulling himself to his feet.

"I didn't know you disliked giving blowjobs so much," Rin said almost conversationally, looking away. Haruka let out a weak chuckle.

"That bad, huh?"

Rin stared at the ground frostily, muttering something Haruka couldn't quite catch in his daze. Haruka swallowed, wetting his bone-dry throat.

It was just a coincidence, Haruka reassured himself. As he walked out of the stall with Rin, who looked at him questioningly, Haruka repeated the sentence like a mantra.

It was just a coincidence.

* * *

A/N: I am so brain dead right now. Like, you do realize that all these make-out sessions and touching are my first time writing them? Yeah, I know. The quantity of sexual themes indicates otherwise. xP

So I know I say this a lot, but I really was surprised by the number of reviews the last chapter got. It more than doubled what I was expecting. Thank you to the reviewers: Elvent (always first to review, aren't you? xD), iMakeMistakes, Arelinna, Animecherryblossem33, curosityisn'tcurious, Violet, Ni-chan9, Nami1415, pennamesareforfancypeople, Veancie, Say-It, Chrome girl, Kazumiko Ritsu. All of your reviews were very constructive and motivating! This time, internet cake for everyone to nom on!

One more thing. I know that the earlier chapters were in danger of hitting 3,000 words but now, they average somewhere between 1,500 - 2,000. Sorry for that! I just feel like the points I stop on are good stopping points, and that if I do any more, it'll be overkill. Also because it's easier to update regularly when the chapters are shorter. And school is starting soon! Noooo! I probably won't be able to update when school starts Dx

ASDfadsg okay I've held enough of your time. See you next time!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Warning! Lots of drama! D: And guest replies:

Cookie: YES I HAVE CONVERTED SOMEONE!1!

Violet: Haha, we all have to indulge in the pervy fangirl side once in a while. ;)

* * *

Haruka wasn't sure what he expected on Friday, but it sure wasn't complete normalcy.

The immature teasing in the classroom continued as always, led by the Daichi Watanabe persona as Haruka came to discover. He really didn't understand why Watanabe-san was out to get him, seeing as he was popular, loud-mouthed, and hung with a different crowd while Haruka was dull, quiet, and always stuck to his little bubble of swimming friends. They were polar opposites, which, then again, could be the reason Watanabe-san hated him so much. Strangely, Watanabe-san actually reminded him of _Rin_.

Forget that thought. He did not just think that.

Makoto was supportive as always. He was prickly and slightly down in the classroom, probably because Haruka was being bullied and Haruka specifically told him not to interfere, but probably not because he found out that Haruka was fooling around with Rin. Makoto was true to his words, providing consolation in what he couldn't in prevention. Bless good old Makoto and his kindness.

Rumors about his heartlessness continued, but Haruka didn't hear any gay rumors or prostitution rumors. Haruka could only hope that that meant Nagisa hadn't heard and that it was just a coincidence, but Haruka was inclined to believe that Nagisa was simply determined to carry the secret to his grave. The boy was usually like that, hiding his worries under a bright smile and a bad penguin imitation.

The school day passed on as usual, and Haruka resolved to confront Nagisa at the swim meet.

* * *

"Hello boys!" Ama-sensei was propped in her shady chair of royalty as always. Kou-san was posted to her side.

"Hello Ama-chan!" the boys sans Haruka replied, with Nagisa being the loudest of them. The four of them began setting their bags against the building, removing supplies, and changing, some by going into the building and others by stripping off their clothes aggressively. They soon began their warm-ups.

Normally, swim practice without Rin was both relieving and jarring for Haruka, the former because Rin was an asshole and the latter because somewhere deep, deep, deep down, Haruka enjoyed Rin's company, no matter how bastardized. Not this Friday, however. This Friday, Haruka was completely the latter, not because of Rin but because of Nagisa. Of all people, Nagisa. Out of all his friends, Nagisa was probably the person Haruka could not deal with the most because his penchant for hiding behind a cheery facade threw Haruka off. Haruka was straightforward, and dealing with deception was not his forte.

A part of Haruka wanted to never leave the soothing sanctuary of the pool, but the other, more urgent part insisted that he _needed_ to talk to Nagisa, regardless of whether or not he was comfortable with it. He was given no choice in the end as Rei swam up to him - his butterfly stroke was improving, Haruka realized suddenly - and told him that it was time to leave.

When Haruka dried himself, Nagisa and Makoto were waiting at the exit while Rei was changing in the building. Haruka strode resolutely to the small blonde, staring pointedly at the other's feet.

Yellow flip flops.

The feet shifted uneasily.

"Is there something wrong with my feet, Haru-chan?" Nagisa queried, eyes wide and bright. Haruka stared unblinkingly.

"Can I talk to you privately?"

Makoto spared Haruka a questioning glance, to which Haruka replied with a silent _don't worry_. When his gaze returned onto Nagisa's, he could tell that the blond was trying not to look away.

"What do you need, Haru-chan?"

"Come with me."

Haruka walked deliberately to the far corner of the pool, the scuffing of flip flop on pavement assuring him that Nagisa did indeed follow. Once they were there, Haruka turned around to face Nagisa.

"Did you go to the restroom last night at Samezuka?"

Nagisa opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

"No. I used the locker rooms." Nagisa was avoiding Haruka's gaze.

Haruka sighed, closing his eyes and fighting away the headache at the fringes of his consciousness.

"You heard Rin and I didn't you?"

Nagisa was never one to deflect a direct attack. Sure enough, the blond was wide-eyed, emitting stutters and random chirps that failed to be coherent thoughts. It was usually hilarious to Haruka, but not now.

Nagisa swallowed, calming his tremors and staring nervously at his feet. "I shouldn't have bragged about the flip flops."

"You shouldn't have."

It was tensely silent as Nagisa attempted to formulate his sentences, no longer floundering or panicking but simply sorting his thoughts. He swallowed again, his fingers clenching and unclenching in the familiar pattern that Haruka knew soothed the blonde.

"Rin-chan's not forcing you or anything, right?" he blurted, eyes wide with conflicting emotions. Haruka looked away.

"We didn't have sex, if that's what you're thinking."

"But he's not - he _is_, isn't he? You would never do something like that if Rin didn't force you! Oh my God!"

Haruka quickly slapped his hand on Nagisa's mouth. He looked at the exit. Rei and Makoto were sending them confused expressions.

"Don't tell them," Haruka pleaded, hand grasping Nagisa's shoulder desperately. "And it's none of your business whether Rin forces me or not."

That seemed to anger Nagisa, and the blond wrenched Haruka's hand away from his mouth.

"It _is_ my business!" Nagisa hissed angrily, hands reaching to grasp Haruka's shoulders firmly. "It's my business if Haru-chan gets hurt! Don't leave me out of it!"

"Nagisa."

"Don't use that tone on me! Why are you doing this? Why are you letting _Rin-chan _do this to you?"

"_Nagisa_."

"This is _horrible_! Why would you tolerate that? Is it because he's _Rin_?"

"Nagisa, _please_."

The bit of venom in Haruka's voice seemed to snap Nagisa out of his rant, and the blond was left shakily squeezing Haruka's shoulders. Haruka gently removed the hands.

"Listen, Nagisa," he began lowly, comfortingly. "I know you're worried about me. I'm very happy about that, but please stay out of it. Please don't tell _anyone_. I can handle Rin by myself. _I'm _the one who he used to annoy, right?"

Nagisa didn't crack a smile.

"Anyways, just don't tell anyone. Don't try to talk to Rin about it. Don't try to get in between it. I can handle it by myself, okay?"

"Are you going to see Rin again?" Nagisa's voice was quiet.

"Will my answer affect whether or not you stay out of my business?"

"_Yes!_" Nagisa's voice rose a few decibels, attracting concerned looks from Makoto and Rei. He took a breath, collecting himself, and continued at a whisper. "You _can't _see Rin. I don't want you to. I'm going to stop you."

"Nagisa." Haruka was getting impatient now. "_Please_-"

"No," the blond said resolutely, tearing himself away from Haruka and straightening his back. "I'll respect your privacy. I won't tell anyone, not even Rin, and I won't interrupt you guys if I catch you in the act. But I'm going to do everything I can to stop you guys from meeting."

Haruka forced back a frustrated growl, reasoning that that was probably the most he could get. He briefly entertained telling Nagisa that preventing Rin from meeting him was only going to anger Rin even more, but he swallowed it down.

"Alright," he sighed. "Just don't let anyone else find out, okay? Especially Makoto and Rei."

"'kay." Nagisa seemed composed now, the somber expression looking terrifyingly misplaced on the cheery blond's face. He took a few deep breaths before the happy grin resumed. "I won't let them suspect a thing."

Haruka didn't doubt that, watching the blond run happily to Rei and Makoto as if everything was fine in the world. He sighed, taking a minute to compose himself before following after.

"What did you guys talk about?" Makoto asked, frowning. Haruka glanced at Rei and Nagisa arguing heatedly about whether penguins or butterflies were better adapted to the natural environment, feeling the headache return with a vicious flair.

"Nothing," he lied.

Makoto's frown deepened, but he said nothing.

Haruka spent the rest of the walk home dreading the day his friends find out.

* * *

A/N: Yeah. Nothing really happened in this chapter. I don't really have much to say so I'll skip straight to the questions.

What do you think of Nagisa's character? Do you think he's OOC? What do you think is up with the Daichi Watanabe dude?

Thanks to the reviewers: iMakeMistakes, Kazumiko Ritsu, Violet, Elvent, curosityisn'tcurious, Guest, Cookie, Nami1415, FallenAngel1129 (thanks for the long sequence of reviews! xD), pennamesareforfancypeople, Bast. You all are seriously blowing me away with the number of reviews. See? Look at my dead face after hitting a wall: xP

So... I guess I'll see you lovely readers next time. Bai bai~


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Warning! Drama and cursing.

* * *

It was on the first weekend of March that Haruka felt the tension building, and he dreaded the day it would explode.

Rin was apparently stressed the weekend following Haruka's awkward confrontation with Nagisa, texting the dark-haired boy both days for some "canoodling". Both times, Nagisa had efficiently cock-blocked the redhead's attempts like some dark wizard.

But really. Haruka was, in all seriousness, questioning all he knew about his adorable, growth-stunted childhood friend, seeing how Nagisa _always _knew whenever Rin called him and _always _managed to drag him away with some obligation with some sort of fortune-telling dark magic. After Rin's second attempt on Sunday, Haruka's phone was mysteriously free of Rin's insistent texts, and Nagisa looked a bit _too _innocent pointing at the candy store in the mall.

That's right. Currently, it was a fine Sunday afternoon, and Haruka, Makoto, Rei, Nagisa, and Kou-san were at the mall per Nagisa's insistence. He demanded that the swim club have a "bonding" time, one that didn't involve swimming, but Haruka had an inkling suspicion that the blond was just trying to keep him away from Rin. Checking his phone one more time for a text from Rin, he slipped it into his pockets with a sigh and followed his babble of friends into the obnoxiously bright candy store.

"Come on, Nagisa," Makoto sighed as the blonde fawned over the shelves. "We can't afford all this. And are you sure you want to spend your money on sugar?"

"Sugar is life," Nagisa responded cryptically, snagging a few bags off the shelf.

"You are correct, Nagisa," Rei interjected. "Carbohydrates are organic compounds vital to maintain life. However, excess consumption of sugar can lead to insulin resistance, making your cells unable to take in the energy and letting the sugar build up in your blood."

"Insulin, schminsulin," Nagisa warbled, skipping to the counter. Rei glared at the back of the blond's head, muttering obscenities as he and Makoto followed the rambunctious blond.

To the side, Haruka spotted Kou-san staring longingly at a bag of chocolate. He walked up to her, quietly taking in red hair that was fashioned in a modestly cute bun.

"Do you want that?" he asked suddenly. The girl jumped a good three feet into the air, whipping around clumsily.

"I - um, sorry, Haruka-senpai," she stammered. "You startled me."

He flashed her a small smile, hoping it would calm her down, before pointing at the case of chocolate and reiterating. "Do you want that?"

"It's alright," she muttered quietly, almost shrinking away from Haruka. "I can pay for it myself."

A buzzing sound from Kou-san's phone startled them both, and the redhead hastily pulled it out of her tote. Her red eyes skimmed the screen, frowning as she did so. A slight concern spiked in Haruka, and he briefly wondered if Kou-san was being bullied as well.

"Who was that?" he asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner. Kou-san glanced up at him blankly, almost warily.

"Just my brother," she said quietly, fingers flying across the touch screen. Haruka felt his heart skip a beat. "He asked where I was," she continued as if she could hear his concerns.

Haruka opened his mouth before he hesitated, paused as if suspended in time. Should he tell Kou-san not to tell Rin where he was? He didn't want a confrontation with Rin, but he also didn't want Kou-san to find out. Haruka would be mortified if his friends found out, but if Kou-san found out, he might just jump off a cliff. The risk was too great, he realized. Kou-san was very perceptive - _too _perceptive.

And perceptive she was. As soon as Haruka opened his mouth, she quickly turned to the side and exclaimed, "Look! The others are leaving already! We better go, Haruka-senpai." At a loss of what to do after being duped by both shorter members of the swim club, Haruka could only follow along.

They wandered the mall for a while, eventually settling down at a rickety table in the corner of the food court. Right as they sat down, Nagisa slammed his hands onto the table with a shout, jolting everyone in surprise.

"Alright, Iwatobi swim club!" he practically shrieked, and Makoto and Kou-san attempted to quell the strange looks they were receiving. "We should decide what to eat!"

"You already have two bags of practically pure sugar," Rei sputtered incredulously. "How can you even _fit _anything else in your stomach?"

"Come on, Rei-chan! Even _I _know everyone has two stomachs, one for sugar and the other for the 'official' meals. Science aside, what should we eat? Let's take a vote!"

"Mackerel," Haruka deadpanned.

"I go with whatever Haru wants," Makoto agreed.

"I believe sushi is fit for the occasion," Rei muttered.

"I want some pizza," Kou-san sighed.

"Mackerel pizza with pineapple."

"You voted twice, Haru-chan!"

"I changed my vote."

"Alright!" Nagisa exclaimed, snatching Rei's glasses - "Hey, stop doing that!" - and striking a pose. "We'll go with mackerel and pineapple pizza!"

There was a collective groan from the table, and Haruka frowned, slightly miffed. Nagisa slammed the table again, quickly snapping the four of them out of their thoughts.

"Now that we've decided what to get, let's pick two people to get the food!" the short blond declared authoritatively. "Rockpaper_scissors_!"

"Hey, I wasn't ready!"

"Come on, Gou. You should've been ready!"

"I can't be ready when you don't give me a warning! And it's Kou, not Gou! Right, Haruka-senpai?"

"Hn."

"Hush, children! Let's try this again. Rockpaper_scissors_!"

"Not so fast, Nagisa! You're doing this on purpose aren't you!"

"Well that didn't work out."

"Obviously."_  
_

"Let's try this one more time..."

* * *

Well this was just plain awkward.

Haruka shifted uncomfortably in his sneakers, willing his shoulders to settle down. Beside him, Kou-san was playing with the hem of her skirt, looking away from him and appearing just as discomfited as Haruka was feeling. They were in a line in front of the closest pizza store, ignoring the mischievous whispers and snickers from the rickety table in the corner of the food court. He sighed, stepping forward as the man in front of him disappeared with a pizza in hand.

"How can I help you two?"

"One large pizza with mackerel and pineapple for toppings," Haruka muttered dryly, looking down at the counter. When the person behind the counter did not reply and Haruka sensed Kou-san stiffen beside him, he looked up. His eyes widened.

"Watanabe-senpai," Kou-san_ growled_. Haruka felt his mouth drop open, both at the ferocious display from the sweetest girl he knew and the terrified expression of the most obnoxious bully in his class.

"G-Gou," Daichi Watanabe stuttered, looking stupid in his flashy apron-visor uniform.

"What are you doing here?" Kou-san demanded.

"I workhere," Watanabe-san retorted, his typical snarky attitude rekindling. "What are _you _doing here?" He locked gazes with Haruka. "I thought you broke up with Nanase."

"That's none of your business," Kou-san snapped, hugging Haruka's arm to her chest tightly, startling him out of his daze. "Just give us the pizza."

Watanabe-san's face went red, and he looked down, muttering curses to himself. "We don't have mackerel, but we have anchovies."

"Anchovies then," Haruka said calmly. Watanabe-san shot him and Kou-san vicious glares as he keyed in their order and brought their receipt, telling them to pick up their order later. The two of them returned the look, and Kou-san stomped away, hands still tight on Haruka's arm.

"How do you know him?" Kou-san hissed angrily as they walked away.

"He's a classmate who teases me all day," Haruka replied calmly. Kou-san huffed incredulously, her grip tightening on Haruka's arm. "What about you?"

The redhead scoffed, stopping in place.

"He used to bully me in elementary school about my name," she muttered, scuffing her sandals against the floor angrily. "Onii-chan always beat him up."

Haruka blinked, surprised. A vague memory tugged at the edge of his consciousness.

A hazy image of the neighborhood playground appeared in his mind, the equipment about twice as tall as what he was used to - or was he twice as short? That day, he was with the Matsuokas since his family was busy - his parents were MIA as always, and his grandmother was in the hospital at that time. He remembered a shrill voice screaming for Rin, Rin jumping off of the swings like a boss, Rin bee-lining to the commotion, Rin beating up a squat boy who was apparently picking on Kou-san, and Rin screaming the boy's name while the boy likewise screamed back, though with a completely different emotion. The boy's name was muddy in Haruka's head. Daisuke Watari or something.

Daisuke Watari. Daichi Watanabe. It didn't take much for Haruka to connect the dots.

Haruka pulled himself out of his thoughts, seeing their designated table come close. The three waiting boys lifted their heads up in synchronization as Kou-san roughly pulled her chair back with a screech, sitting down and crossing her arms. Haruka took his seat beside Makoto, mind numb with the new information.

"I'm not even going to ask what happened," Rei deadpanned.

"You don't want to know," Kou-san agreed darkly.

A headache at a cluster right above his eyebrow caused Haruka to sigh dramatically. There was no way. Haruka learned from the past two weeks that coincidences usually united to wreak havoc in his life. There was enough havoc in his life already, and he didn't want the drama with Watanabe-san to escalate.

Haruka glanced back at the pizza store, trying to see that Daichi Watanabe was indeed Daichi Watanabe, just to catch the other staring at him. Watanabe-san quickly turned away, blushing so hard that his cheeks, ears, and neck were completely bathed in red, kind of like a shy, love-struck schoolgirl.

_You're so pretty. I couldn't resist._

Haruka froze.

No. No way. No way in hell. Those were the thoughts running through his head as he shakily regained his motor skills. Haruka was just misunderstanding things. It couldn't be true.

Discreetly, he shot another glance back, snapping his head forward as if burned when Daichi Watanabe was still blushing, still avoiding his eyes, still eerily similar to how Kou-san blushed during the short time they dated. What the _actual fuck_?!

Oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no - that was all that ran through Haruka's head. He felt like he was hyperventilating, having a panic attack or _something_, because his mind was blown to bits and it couldn't comprehend anything anymore. It just got out of its desk, threw off its tie, and said, "I'm done. I'm done with this shit." His brain left him. Left him unable to function save for looping the image of his blushing tormentor over and over again.

"Haru, are you okay?" Makoto was looking at him strangely. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

Not a ghost. Not _just _a ghost. He just saw something like his worst nightmare straight from a girly rom com. He would take asshole Rin or creepy Nagisa any day over this horrifying scenario._  
_

"I'm fine," he wheezed faintly, convincing absolutely no one.

He dug his fingers into his hair in a manner that was not fine whatsoever, resisting the urge to start ripping out his hair and pummel his head against the table like a madman. He was going _insane_. He must be. There was no way that Daichi Watanabe l - li - _lik_ -

"Look, the pizza's ready," Kou-san remarked, standing from her seat. She shot Haruka a comforting look, though from Haruka's point of view it looked like a muppet doing somersaults. "You can stay here, Haruka-senpai. I'll go get the pizza."

The girl walked resolutely to the pizza store, straight for Watanabe-san, leaving the four swimmers at the table.

"Are you sure you're okay, Haru-chan?" That was Nagisa this time. Haruka needed to get his act together if _Nagisa _was worrying over him. He stood up from his seat, hoping that he didn't appear as freaked out as he was.

"I need to use the restroom," he said tersely, choppily, and he rushed away.

Once he made his way safely into the restroom, he headed straight for the sinks, splashing cold water onto his face in an attempt to calm himself. Eventually, Haruka's breaths slowed, and he felt as if the rest of his body had finally convinced his brain to stay. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against the wall.

"Do I give off gay pheromones or something?" he half-whispered to himself. He heard the restroom door creak behind him and a worried Makoto calling out his name, and he straightened himself to at least appear presentable.

"You sure you're okay?" Makoto asked him once more. Haruka was pretty sure he already exhausted the year's worry-Makoto quota.

"I'm perfectly fine," he said resolutely.

He was at the moment. Haruka really, really, _really _hoped that Rin and Watanabe-san didn't meet, because he sure as well won't be fine then.

* * *

A/N: Yeeeaaah I'm pretty sure you can tell I went overboard with this chapter and had a blast writing it. xD I think had _too _much fun despite the lack of Rin in this chapter.

So. A longer chapter this time. There were some parts I wasn't particularly happy with, but I am lazy and I don't want to fix them right now and I need to get this out anyways. And don't you dare blame me for the twist here. Y'all reviewers were asking for it. I mean, he was just supposed to be a random OC that makes, like, one appearance in the whole story, but now it became _this._ I think I might just die from laughter.

Before that happens, questions! What do you think Rin is doing while they're separated? What do you think about the deal with Daichi? How do you think this will complicate things in the future?

Thanks to the reviewers: Animecherryblossem33, pennamesareforfancypeople, Kazumiko Ritsu, iMakeMistakes, Lala, Elvent, Victorious-Mind, curosityisn'tcurious, FallenAngel1129, Freyco, Bast, Guest, Hey Those Beats. All of your feedback on Daichi gave me a plot bunny ;)

I'm kind of brain-dead right now so I'll depart. See you next time!


	13. Chapter 13

Watanabe-san was a prick on Monday.

A very normal observation, as anyone in Haruka's class would say. But they weren't like Haruka. They weren't the object of Watanabe-san's loathing, the target of the incessant spit balls and glares and whatever immature weapon the boy could throw at Haruka. The actions disturbed Haruka, firstly because it was annoying, but secondly because of what Haruka had witnessed the previous day.

Watanabe-san staring at him. Blushing when their gazes met. Turning away. Haruka's brain was securely strapped into its seat this time, forbidding it the option of leaving Haruka to freak out, and it, too, could only come to the conclusion that Daichi Watanabe had a crush on Haruka.

But today, Watanabe-san's bullying was escalating in immaturity. Perhaps it was a direct response to their awkward interaction yesterday. Perhaps he was trying to hide his embarrassment by tormenting Haruka. Perhaps that was how he showed his affection. Haruka shuddered at the thought, praying to whatever deity above that that was _not _true, that Watanabe-san was _not _a tsundere.

"Haru-chan! Hello?"

Haruka blinked. A hand attached to a perky Nagisa was waving in front of his face.

"Come on, Haru-chan. You weren't listening at all, were you? We were talking about having a servant - I mean, another member in the club. Gou says that she won't have time to make our food and stuff because the school year's getting busier."

"It's Kou!"

Haruka looked on blankly, already feeling his mind drift away from the conversation. It was study hall right now, and Nagisa, Rei, and Kou-san had invaded their classroom to talk about some "pressing matters". Not that Haruka was apathetic to the situation, but something was off. There wasn't a malevolent force throwing spitballs at his back.

He turned to stare at Watanabe-san, who was surrounded by a posse at the opposite side of the room. Forget spitballs, the bully was ignoring Haruka completely, almost as if a single stare would mean the death of him. Haruka frowned. Was it because of Kou-san's presence? Was he jealous of her for dating Haruka or something?

The thought of Watanabe-san harboring a schoolgirl crush on Haruka and being jealous of something so petty made Haruka turn green. Haruka was _not _gay or attracted to the lanky, wild-haired blond.

He turned away, returning to the conversation soon enough to catch the decision to add a sixth member to the Iwatobi swim club.

* * *

Rin was acting strangely on Tuesday.

Rin's nervousness was long gone, replaced by a sour attitude he directed very passionately towards Haruka. The only reason Haruka hadn't melted under Rin's mantle-hot glares was because Rin's anger was diluted, a large portion of his fury directed at himself. Rin seemed to be undergoing some sort of primeval self-loathing ritual, which was alarming.

The other's red hair and red eyes seemed fierier than ever, his locks in a disarray and his eyes with a slight redness that indicated no sleep. It was almost as if Rin's physical appearance was trying to match his inner fury, an impossible feat due to the gargantuan nature of Rin's emotions. Rin's emotions were usually very big but not always deep. This time, it was both.

The sight of an angry Rin was enough to jolt Haruka out of his worries about Watanabe-san to worry about Rin. Not really. It was more like the two concerns combined in a volatile solution. Watanabe-san, at least, had acted normally on Monday and Tuesday save for bullying Haruka more than usual. Haruka was perfectly fine with pretending there was nothing wrong, but seeing Rin instantly shattered that fantasy. Once more, Haruka was reminded of the horrifying consequences of their meeting. They must not, not, _not _meet.

That wasn't the issue at hand, though. Rin was clearly out to murder Haruka, and Haruka wasn't in a position to stop him.

They raced during the joint practice. Mikoshiba and Makoto had announced it out of the blue, but the suspicious expression that Makoto failed to hide informed Haruka that his friend had (correctly) pinpointed the source of his worries and was trying to help him out, albeit in a misguided way. Haruka could sense Rin's effort in swimming - that was good - and the race had ended with a marginal Samezuka victory, which meant Haruka would be the submissive one the next time they "met".

That was not good.

When practice was over, Rin tried to approach him, angry words on the tip of his tongue. Nagisa practically tackled the redhead against the wall, exclaiming something about friendship and swimming and oh I missed you so much, but Haruka could see the dark glint in the blond's eye. Needless to say, Rin was not pleased whatsoever, and for a moment, his face distorted into a bestial snarl, shaking in his muscles' inability to fully display his frustration. The sight scared Haruka, but Haruka could see a tinge of something else in Rin's face, something equally negative but not as forceful. Desperation?

But for what?

* * *

Watanabe-san was a stalker on Wednesday.

There was no other reason for it. Watanabe-san must be a stalker. Why else would the ugly-tempered tormentor join the Iwatobi swim club? It was bad enough being verbally harassed in the classroom, but to be followed to the _one _solace of Haruka's life - Haruka swore he would punch Watanabe-san's ugly mug.

That aside, the application had to go through Kou-san. Why would she accept in the first place?

It certainly wasn't because of trust or positive feelings, because for the entirety of the swim meet, the girl shot nasty glares at the bully, who did not react at all save for some flinching. The action only solidified Haruka's theory that Watanabe-san was subdued whenever Kou-san was around. There was certainly history between them, and the tension rolled off in waves.

Watanabe-san was, true to Nagisa's slip of the tongue, just a servant to the club. He brought the bentos, cleaned up spills, and assisted the swimmers with their equipment, never swimming. The helpful actions were always done shyly, reluctantly, and, for Haruka, with an angry glare or a hissed insult. Always, Kou-san was quick to discipline the latest member, yanking his ear or likewise hissing some insult, and Watanabe-san would obey like a kicked puppy. It was strange.

During their break, while Watanabe-san was sent away to gather the bentos, Kou-san approached Haruka with a concerned expression.

"Tell me if he's an asshole," she said somberly, a sour glint in her eyes. "I can deal with him."

"It's all right," Haruka replied, thrown off. Did she know about the... crush that Watanabe-san had? "I can handle him."

The look she sent him showed exactly how unconvinced she was.

That night, after the practice ended, Makoto insisted on sleeping over at Haruka's house. Skeptical, Haruka agreed nonetheless. Interestingly enough, Kou-san texted him soon after they reached Haruka's house, asking on Rin's behalf to meet. Haruka replied with a sorry no, feeling Makoto's eyes on his back. Nagisa probably told Makoto to sleep over so Haruka couldn't meet up with Rin.

Three concerns instantly passed Haruka's mind. First, Rin wasn't contacting him directly. Something was clearly wrong on his end. Second, Makoto probably suspected something was up. He was always keen with his friends' behaviors, especially Haruka's. Third, Nagisa could somehow predict whenever Rin wanted to meet up with Haruka. The implications were horrifying.

He spent the night wide awake, wondering exactly what lengths Nagisa was going to keep him away from Rin.

* * *

Rin and Watanabe-san met on Thursday.

Why? That was all Haruka could think as he watched the confrontation from a distance. The _one _situation Haruka didn't want to happen just happened. Did the universe hate him that much? He already broke the heart of the sweetest girl he knew. He was a sex slave to said girl's older brother. He was being bullied in school. One of his friends already knew about his compromising situation. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it does.

Watanabe-san was staring at Rin with a horrified expression similar to Haruka's own. Clearly, the boy remembered every bit of the redhead's fury. He looked petrified, a clear contrast to the questioning looks the Samezuka swim team was sending him.

"R-Rin-san," Watanabe-san stuttered. Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Do I know you?"

Haruka swore he felt a blood vessel burst. Was Rin pretending not to know Watanabe-san?

"No, not at all," Watanabe-san added quickly. "J-just heard your little sister talk about you, that's all."

"He's the new member of the Iwatobi swim club," Nitori explained, walking up to Rin, who glared at the new arrival. "Daichi Watanabe, I believe."

At that, Rin frowned, sending the bully into throes of panic. Watanabe-san squeaked and ran behind Haruka, hands digging tightly into the dark-haired boy's shoulders. Rin scowled deeply and began stomping his way to where Haruka was trying to shrug Watanabe-san off.

"Please, please, _please_, Nanase!" Watanabe-san shrilled highly as Haruka tried valiantly to pry the boy's fingers off. "Save me from Rin-san! I'll stop calling you Haruka-chan forever!"

"What am I supposed to do?" Haruka hissed in response. "Rin's also going to kill me!"

Before Haruka could make a choice, Mikoshiba's authoritative voice echoed through the building. "Four fifties of fly! Let's get going, people!" Rin froze in his tracks, "tch"-ed, and stomped away just as furiously.

For the rest of the practice, Haruka could feel Rin's smoldering gaze always at the nape of his neck, never leaving. After practice, he didn't attempt to approach Haruka this time, sending him, Nagisa, and Watanabe-san dark glares and stalking away morosely. Something felt off about the situation, and Haruka realized quite suddenly that, this time, Rin wasn't leaving with a woman.

Rin wasn't leaving with a woman.

What did that mean? Did it mean Rin had completely forgotten about sex? Did it mean he was finally abandoning his unhealthy coping mechanism, if it could even be called that? Did it mean Rin would not settle for anyone other than Haruka?

The last thought brought butterflies to Haruka's stomach, and he shuddered at the strange feeling. Unsettled at his reaction, he pushed the thought away. It was impossible. Rin wasn't gay, and even if he was, he certainly wasn't gay for Haruka.

Makoto followed Haruka home again on Thursday. He seemed determined to stay with Haruka despite not knowing the situation. Normally, Haruka would be touched, but he was starting to get annoyed at people sticking their noses where they don't belong. He was _sick _of Nagisa's cock-blocking, of Makoto's mother-hen attitude, of Watanabe-san being a creep, of Kou-san making a big deal out of nothing, of Rei being a doofus perfectionist, of Ama-sensei contributing exactly nothing with her obscure quotes. The only person Haruka wasn't sick of was Rin.

Rin.

Haruka hadn't heard from him in a week. Hadn't been touched in a way that never failed to make Haruka feel alive in spite of the situation, in spite of everything. Haruka couldn't deny it anymore, not even consciously. He was addicted to Rin's touch. He needed it. And he was deprived of it for a whole week, all because of Nagisa and Makoto.

Haruka was at his limit. He needed to get to Rin.

He would do that tonight.

* * *

When Haruka opened his eyes, the moonlight shone a spotlight on Makoto's sleeping face, making him instantly aware of his friend's presence beside him. Moving only his eyes, Haruka glanced at the clock. It was Friday, two in the morning.

Breathing as shallowly as possible, Haruka slowly pulled the sheets off of his body, careful not to touch Makoto or make any loud noises. He cautiously lifted himself to a sitting position before shifting his legs to squat on his futon. His blue eyes locked on Makoto's face. The brunet had yet to stir.

Haruka slowly, slowly straightened himself to a standing position, assessing his surroundings. Haruka was against the far wall with a window, and Makoto's sleeping body was blocking the way to the exit. Haruka would have to step over his friend. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and gently, daintily lifted a foot over Makoto and onto the floor on the other side.

_Creak_.

Haruka froze in place, eyes glued on the slight crease of Makoto's brow, the movement of his lips as he muttered something incomprehensible. He rolled over towards Haruka's futon, nearly hitting his forehead against Haruka's ankle before stilling. Haruka waited a full minute before releasing the breath he was holding.

Haruka shifted his weight to the outstretched leg, ready to take another step, but a sharp _clack_ stopped him suddenly. Terror and confusion overwhelmed him. Did Makoto hear? And what the hell made the noise anyways?

Makoto was still. Whatever made the noise, it wasn't enough to wake him. Another _clack _jolted Haruka out of his frozen position, and he whipped his head to where he pinpointed the source of the noise.

There was a third _clack_, but this time Haruka clearly saw the finger rapping against his window. His eyes widened, and he pulled his outstretched foot back onto his futon, snapping him out of his uncomfortable position and giving him a better view of the perpetrator. His breath hitched.

There he was in all his red-haired, red-eyed glory, hidden behind his black track suit and his black cap. Rin was outside his window, looking a cross between furious and hesitant. His mouth opened, and although Haruka couldn't physically hear him, Rin's voice echoed in his head.

"Haru."

* * *

A/N: THEY'RE GOING TO ELOPE AND FLY TO THE MALDIVES, WHERE THEY'LL SPEND THE REST OF THEIR LIVES DOING GAY POOL SEX. Not really.

I really don't know where I was going with this chapter (and the story overall), but whatever. Another longer chapter this time, so don't be surprised if it's a bit lacking. I'm too lazy to look over it. xP

Also, I'm really excited about what I have in store for Daichi. Thank you all who convinced me to integrate him into the plot more, because I have a delicious little twist in mind. I can only hope you, the reader, finds it as delicious as I do when I come out with it. ;)

Thanking the reviewers. You know, the reviews are a big part of what keeps me going with this story, and y'all are wonderful reviewers. I've never had so many in-depth and consistent reviews before. At the beginning, each chapter got an average of seven reviews, but for the past few chapters, they've gotten more than ten. Fifteen at its highest. More than _double _the usual amount. Seriously, thanks guys/gals: Freyco, Midnight E Siren, Elvent, curosityisn'tcurious, lilflyingApple, Guest, luckylily25, Bunny, FallenAngel1129, HappyDrageneel, pennamesareforfancypeople, Chromegirl.

Unfortunately, school starts in a week for me. I'm afraid I won't have as much time or motivation to update, but I'll try my best. I won't abandon yet _another _story. xD Well that has yet to come, so see you all next time!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Warning! Cursing and fluff! Not the fluff!

* * *

It took everything in Haruka's power not to yell out Rin's name and wake up Makoto. Instead, he made a vague motion with his hands, hoping that Rin would get the message and go to the front door. The redhead nodded and disappeared from sight, and Haruka let out a breath.

Rin. Rin sneaked out of Samezuka in the middle of the night just to meet Haruka. The action was almost _romantic_, and the sugary feeling coating the back of his throat only intensified when Haruka realized he was about to do the same thing.

Clearly _something _was reciprocated.

He pushed away the fuzzy feeling with a shake of his head. There were more important things at hand. Quietly, careful to avoid the creaky patch of floor, Haruka tip-toed his way past Makoto and out of the room, clad in only the over-sized t-shirt and the embarrassingly short shorts he wore to sleep. He stumbled around his furniture, kicking his toe a few times before his hands finally landed against the front door, the only barrier that separated him from Rin.

Rin. Haruka and Rin alone, in the middle of the night. Something in Haruka somersaulted. He quickly unlocked the door, revealing Rin's scowling face.

"We need to talk," the redhead said lowly, eyes skimming briefly over Haruka's figure. Suddenly, Haruka felt very naked in his sleepwear, and he nodded blankly to distract himself from the feeling.

"Makoto's inside," Haruka whispered quietly. "I don't think we should talk in my house."

"Then come with me."

Haruka hesitated. "Where?"

"Anywhere."

They stared at each other in silence. The longer Haruka thought about it, the more it seemed like a romantic date. He gulped and shakily stepped out of the house, ignoring the cold bite of wind against his legs and arms. Rin promptly turned around with a glance backwards, and Haruka followed the other.

They strolled in silence, Haruka sharply aware of the slight sighs of Rin's breaths and the strong shoulder line that moved up and down with each step they took. He shivered, chilled, watching the scenery change from small buildings to a small expanse of land, covered with colorful structures.

The neighborhood playground.

Rin took a seat on the swings, and Haruka followed. A section of his shorts rode up as he sat down, and Haruka shivered once again as the cold seat made contact with a previously warm patch of skin. Haruka regretted coming out in nothing but his sleepwear.

Haruka was startled out of his thoughts when blackness blanketed over his vision. He pulled off the obstruction, eyes widening as he felt Rin's jacket in his hands.

"Won't you be cold?" Haruka murmured quietly. Rin scoffed.

"I'm not a pansy like you."

Haruka scowled, tossing the jacket onto the ground, ignoring the logical part of his brain that told him Rin was going to kill him for doing so. For good measure, he kicked a healthy amount of wood chips onto the clothing.

"Why do you always have to ridicule me?" he snarled, eyes glued adamantly on the dirtied jacket. "What's wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me," Rin replied flatly. Haruka snapped his head up, glaring furiously into Rin's cold eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with you? You're sexually harassing me! You're forcing me to be your sex slave! And you still say there's nothing wrong with you?"

Rin's face darkened. "Fine, then. You're right about me being fucked up, Haru, but you're wrong about me forcing you. I gave you plenty of opportunities to get away, but you don't. You didn't _have _to follow me in the middle of the night to the playground. You enjoy it, Haru. I might be fucked up for starting this bullshit, but you're even more fucked up for staying."

Haruka recoiled. The words were like a slap to the face, and he stared at the ground, unable to meet the redhead's eyes. He wished so desperately that he could refute those words, but he couldn't, not even on the very first day of the fiasco. Rin was right. He was fucked up.

They remained still, swinging slightly with the wind. Rin stood up from his swing, picked up and dusted his jacket, turned around and suddenly punched the supporting bar of the swing, sending a loud clang through the air and startling Haruka off his seat.

"No," Rin snarled angrily, glaring at where his fist met the bar. "I didn't start this. _You _did. It's all your fault."

"What?" Haruka inflated with indignation. "I didn't even-"

"I don't want to hear it from you," Rin snapped, advancing on Haruka. Haruka backed away from him. "_You're _the reason I started fucking around in the first place. And when I practically kiss-raped you, you didn't do a single thing. Just went 'eh' for a bit before going limp like a dead animal and making that face. That fucking face. You were trying to seduce me, weren't you? Are you gay? You must be fucking gay."

Haruka froze when he felt the bars of the jungle gym digging in his back. Rin took the opportunity to cage him, placing his arms on either side of Haruka's head and pinning Haruka's legs between his own.

"I don't," Haruka muttered in his confusion. "I don't understand what you're saying."

"Look, you're doing it again." Rin's hand reached for Haruka's face, nails digging tightly into his cheeks. "Making that damn face. It's all your fault. It's bad enough that I can never beat you in swimming, but now I can't get it up for anyone else, and you just have to rub it in by avoiding me for a week. Stop making that face! You're an asshole, Haru. You know that?"

"Rin, you're hurting me."

He let go. Haruka wiped the trail of blood away from his face, flinching when Rin's hand rested on his cheek once again.

"Sorry," Rin said quietly, thumb stroking lightly at the crescent-shaped indentation on Haruka's cheek. Haruka quivered.

He shoved Rin away, attempting to glare angrily at him. "If _this _is what you wanted to say, I'm leaving."

Quickly, Rin's arms caged Haruka again. "No. That's not what I wanted to ask. Why were you avoiding me this week?"

"I wasn't avoiding you. Nagisa just wouldn't let me meet up with you."

Haruka could feel Rin's fingers clench tightly around the jungle gym's bars. "You told Nagisa?"

"No!" Haruka blurted hastily, eyeing Rin's murderous expression carefully. "He was in the restroom when I - when we messed around."

"Oh." The storm in Rin's eyes subsided, and Haruka released the breath he was holding. "That explains some things."

"What about you?" Haruka ventured tentatively. "Why weren't you texting me?"

Confusion flashed in Rin's eyes. "I was texting you this whole week. _You're _the one who didn't reply. Only did when I asked you through Gou. Shit, now that I think of it, Nitori was messing around with my phone on Sunday. God dammit, he's the mole, isn't he? I _knew _it. No wonder I couldn't contact you."

"So that's why you came over tonight?"

"Yeah." The word was exhaled softly, breathing a puff of warm air across Haruka's lips. "I couldn't talk to you otherwise."

Haruka stared at the crimson eyes, at the undiluted emotion expressed with each glimmer, each shade, each hue. He felt something daring in him, kind of like the daring he felt on the aquarium date with Kou-san, and he leaned in, softly pressing his lips on Rin's.

The other stiffened, but Haruka pressed on, nuzzling his lips softly against the unresponsive ones. Then Rin sighed and pushed Haruka's lips open with a probing tongue, leaning Haruka more and more against the jungle gym's bars. Rin pulled back, eyes half-mast with a quiet emotion - relief?

"I missed this," he said matter-of-factly, locking lips with Haruka once more. Haruka lifted his arms, wrapping them around Rin's neck, and the other adjusted himself to fit against Haruka. They continued kissing, Haruka feeling more and more experimental and Rin for once allowing Haruka to go at his own pace. Rin pulled back once again, and Haruka attempted to follow him, moaning in protest.

"What's with the Watanabe dude?" Rin asked conversationally, as if his lips weren't moist from kissing. "I'm pretty sure he used to bully my little sister."

Haruka froze. He yanked Rin's head down forcefully, pressing his lips firmly against the other's. It certainly shut him up, but the widening of Rin's eyes told Haruka that Rin would not be dropping the topic. Haruka pulled back, pecking reassuringly against the other's lips.

"A classmate," he murmured, hoping that Rin wouldn't ask him to elaborate. Rin frowned.

"Watch my sister when he's around, will ya?" Rin muttered, surprising Haruka. "I don't like him around my sister."

Watch over Kou-san? _Watanabe-san_ was the one who needed to be watched.

"S-sure," Haruka stuttered nonetheless. Rin smiled wryly, moving his arms away from the bars and around Haruka, pulling their bodies tightly together.

"What, is he bullying you too?" Rin teased, grinning toothily. "Should I tell my damsel to come crying to me for help?"

"I'm not a damsel," Haruka snapped without missing a beat. "And I certainly wouldn't come to _you_, asshole."

"You hurt my heart, Haru-chan."

"Shut it, Rinrin."

Haruka couldn't keep the scowl on his face when Rin chuckled, and he found a small smile playing on his lips. This was Rin. This was the Rin he missed so much, not just for the past week but for the past few years. Rin was laughing. Rin was smiling. With Haruka. He pulled Rin in for another kiss.

"Let's go to a hotel," he whispered against Rin's lips. The redhead's eyes widened.

"Haru, do you have any idea what you're asking for?"

"Sex," Haruka replied bluntly, pecking Rin's lips. "Nothing you haven't already asked me for."

Rin's face remained incredulous, and Haruka pulled back, eyes lowering. Rin quickly pulled him back for a kiss, not a tender one like the ones Haruka instigated, but a ravenous one, one that screamed with desire and anger and need. They remained tight against each other, tongues dancing sensually, until even their swimming-fortified lungs gave out and they pulled back with heavy breaths.

Haruka gasped heavily, face flushed and eyes glazed. He looked at Rin, who appeared equally flustered.

"I won't hold back. Don't start crying when we do it." Rin's eyes were dark with lust.

"I won't," Haruka promised. He sealed the promise with a kiss.

Later that night, Haruka broke his promise.

* * *

A/N: Congratulations! You have reached the first chapter without Rin bullying Haruka! It only took fourteen chapters!

This is probably the most romantic, fluffiest chapter of the story so far, don't you think? I was going "aww" the whole time I was writing this. Seriously. I could just melt.

Thank you reviewers: Guest, FallenAngel1129, Hey Those Beats, curosityisn'tcurious, Arelinna, Freyco, Elvent, pennamesareforfancypeople, junayne10. You're all wonderful.

So. Expect some smut and angst next time. Until then!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Warning! Long chapter, steamy sex, and angst!

* * *

It only took a ten-minute walk to find a hotel.

Getting a room was surprisingly easy. The receptionist had simply glanced at them skeptically, no doubt taking in the two males entering a love hotel, one clad in very revealing clothes, at three in the morning, before waving them in without another word. Embarrassing, certainly, but Haruka was glad that he was alone with Rin so quickly and efficiently.

The redhead apparently felt the same, and Haruka felt the soft cushion against his back as Rin pressed him down on the bed, kissing him ravenously. Haruka threw his arms around Rin's chest, pulling him as close as possible, feeling elated at every square inch of skin he felt against his body. Rin was close. Rin was so close.

A strange keening sound came from Haruka's throat as the realization cemented itself into Haruka's mind. Rin wasn't far away anymore. Not far away physically, not far away emotionally. Rin was right there, pressed so closely against Haruka that his every sigh, every shift, every heartbeat reverberated through Haruka's body as if it was his own. He felt the emotion welling up in his chest, reaching one hand to stroke Rin's hair lovingly.

"Rin," he moaned deeply, but it was swallowed by the other. His eyes fixated on his fingers dancing through Rin's red tresses, taking in how they gleamed and fell lightly as Rin grunted and pushed against Haruka's body. Red. They were so red. Haruka loved the color red so much.

He continued kissing Rin with all of his emotions, sucking and licking and teasing, hoping that Rin enjoyed it as much as he did. It was like his first kiss with Rin, the selfish, draconian one, but this time Rin wasn't forcing it on him. If anything, Haruka was begging for it with the way he mewled every time Rin moved his tongue in that one way against that one place - damn, Rin was a _god _at kissing - and Rin seemed more than happy to please, growling lowly every time he swallowed a moan.

Haruka noted absentmindedly that Rin had changed his position, one leg moving between Haruka's. He ignored it, intent on feeling Rin, tasting Rin, but a sudden burn at his groin caused him to gasp. He broke away, head swimming.

"You like that?" Rin purred lowly. It was a low, aggressive noise that went straight to Haruka's dick. Haruka nodded, biting his lip to hold back a whimper, just to gasp and shudder again when Rin rubbed his knee against Haruka's crotch firmly. The agonizing heat caused Haruka to cross his arms over his face, hoping Rin would never see the horrifying expression on his face.

Another grind, this time slow and torturous. "Don't do that," Haruka heard. He felt hands on his wrist prying his arms away from his face, but Haruka's eyes remained adamantly closed. Rin kissed both eyelids, and Haruka opened his eyes slowly.

"Look at me, Haru," Rin growled, a hand harshly grabbing Haruka's chin. "I told you to fucking look at me."

Haruka tried to nod, but the hand on his face wasn't having it. Another push against his groin, and Haruka moaned. Rin leaned in past his lips, his teeth nipping at Haruka's ear teasingly. Haruka turned his head, giving the other as much access as possible, shuddering when a moist tongue trailed possessively along the ridge of his ear.

"You better not show this face to anyone else, Haru. I'll fucking kill you. You hear me?"

"I won't," Haruka gasped. "Never. Only you, Rin."

Only Rin. Only Rin could make Haruka feel this way. Feel like he was submerged in lava, both painful and pleasing at the same time. Feel like his ribs would explode at how many butterflies filled his chest. Feel like his heart would collapse at how hard it was beating. There was only Rin from the very beginning.

Rin's knee stopped its administrations, and Haruka sighed, relieved that the burning was going away and he could focus on kissing Rin now. He tried to pull Rin for another kiss, but the other held back.

"Rin," he groaned. He wanted to kiss Rin so badly. Why was he holding back?

"We've done enough kissing, Haru," Rin growled. "We'll never get to the sex at this rate."

"Whatever," Haruka muttered, applying more force into pulling Rin's head down. Rin's hand on his face moved to clench Haruka's wrists painfully, pulling his hands away.

"Stop, Haru. I want sex, not kisses."

Haruka frowned. "But," he began before cutting himself off with a groan when Rin ground his pelvis roughly against Haruka's.

"But," Haruka tried again, but his head was swimming. What was he trying to say? And why did it matter when Rin was making him feel so _good_? "But I..."

_I love your kisses_, he tried to say. All that came out was a needy moan as Rin sped up the thrusts, the friction against his groin sending jolts of pleasure up Haruka's spine and hazing his thoughts. It felt _so good_.

His hands released Rin's head, moving down to squeeze possessively at Rin's buttocks. Kissing didn't matter, Haruka thought, because Rin was making him feel good. Kisses were overrated. He could live without kisses if the smoldering pleasure at Haruka's erection never, ever stopped. Rin seemed to sense his thought process, thrusting harder and faster against Haruka until Haruka could only see starbursts.

Vaguely, in the almost nonexistent corner of his mind that retained sanity, Haruka felt two hands trail up his shirt, pressing eagerly against the panes of his stomach, teasing at his sides, moving up to circle his nipples teasingly. He shuddered, clenching Rin's buttocks roughly to cement himself in reality, away from the deluge of pleasure that threatened to overwhelm him. He suddenly jerked back, eyes wide with surprise when the fingers stopped their teasing and pinched.

"Your nipples are sensitive," Rin whispered into his ear. His tone alone made Haruka's erection throb. Rin's hands pulled his shirt up as he trailed kisses and nips from Haruka's ear to the bottom of his neck, pausing to lick gently at his Adam's apple. He stopped at where his neck met his shoulder line, nipping gently before enveloping it completely and sucking.

"Rin, that hurts," Haruka groaned, wincing as the pain pierced through the fog of pleasure. Rin tweaked his nipple apologetically, and Haruka bit his lip to keep the obscene noise from coming out. Rin pulled back, admiring his handiwork.

"You're mine," he hissed. "You're _only _mine. Don't try to cover up that hickey."

"Yes," Haruka moaned. "I'm yours. Only yours."

One of Rin's hands moved to finger Haruka's waistband while his mouth moved to suckle the abandoned nipple. Haruka hissed, moving his hands up Rin's shirt to admire his hard-earned muscles and hope to return the favor. When his palm brushed over Rin's nipple, the other grunted lowly and yanked Haruka's shorts and boxers down completely, revealing his throbbing erection.

Shame pierced through Haruka's daze, and he removed his hands from Rin's shirt to cover himself. Rin snorted, exasperated, while Haruka buried his face in a pillow, hoping to hide the redness of his face.

"Please, Haru," Rin sighed. "I've seen your pee-pee a million times before."

"When we were kids," Haruka muttered into the pillow. "And it doesn't make it any less embarrassing."

"True. Penises are ugly shits compared to vags."

He felt Rin's hands wrap around his wrists, prying them away from his private area. Haruka reddened even more and crossed his arms over his chest awkwardly, remembering Rin's harsh command to not cover his face. He stared at the ceiling, trying to make shapes out of the bumps in the plaster when, suddenly, his erection was enveloped with heat directly, not through the fabric of his shorts and underwear. He made a strangled sound, feeling the lava pool at his core as his sensitive skin felt each ridge, each contour of Rin's warm hand as it pumped up and down. His dick was throbbing painfully now, and he closed his eyes, unable to focus on anything but pleasure.

The heat stopped moving, settling itself at the base of Haruka's cock, and Haruka briefly wondered what was going on before a scorching fire wrapped around the tip. Haruka's eyes shot open, widening even more as he took in Rin's expectant eyes and the lips barely enveloping his erection. A wet muscle poked at his slit, and Haruka threw his head back.

"R-Rin!" he gasped. "What are you-"

"Paying back the favor," he mumbled with Haruka's erection still in his mouth, and the breaths of hot air made Haruka's core coil. He then took in as much of Haruka's erection as he could, making Haruka tremble uncontrollably.

This was too much. The emotions, the pleasure, all of it. It was an unpleasantly pleasant feeling, like the sensation of diving into the ocean, experiencing the slight shock and thrill upon piercing the water but feeling more and more suffocated as you sank deeper into the water. Haruka was miles deep now, pushed down by the gallons and gallons of sweet water above him, and it was scary. The sheer amount of emotion drowning him was scary. He felt like his body could burst at how many... _feelings _were trapped inside, but in spite of the confusion, Haruka was sure of one thing.

He loved Rin.

Haruka loved Rin. Had always loved Rin. Loved him so much that any moment away from him was like walking in the parched desert. That any moment with him was like swimming in an oasis. He loved every part of Rin, from his beautiful red locks to his tenacious toes. His captivating eyes, his angular nose, his toothy grin, his lean and muscled arms that wrapped tightly around Haruka. Everything in Haruka worked for Rin; his heart beat for Rin, his mind deliberated for Rin, his lungs strained for Rin. He loved Rin _so much_.

"Rin," he virtually whimpered as Rin tasted a long streak along the bottom of his dick. "I-I..."

_I love you_.

"I'm coming! Rin!"

Rin removed his mouth just in time for Haruka to orgasm so hard that his head slammed against the headboard. He gasped, unable to feel his body, unable to see anything save for fireworks, unable to hear anything save for Rin's impressed whistle.

"Wow. Never thought you'd come so hard just from this." Something stroked Haruka's cheek. "Makes me wonder how hard you'll come if I'm in you."

Haruka shuddered, weakly lifting his head to look at Rin. "Take me," he wheezed, trembling.

Rin's eyes were dark with lust, and he grinned roguishly at Haruka's proposal. He reached for a bottle on the nightstand, pouring the lubricant onto his hands.

"I'm clean," he said. "Are you?"

"I think so," Haruka muttered tiredly.

Something foreign intruded in Haruka, and he grimaced at the strange sensation. He pulled Rin's head close, planting kisses on his eyelids, his forehead, his nose, his cheeks, his chin - everything he loved about Rin. A second finger intruded, but Haruka ignored the discomfort to trail gentle kisses down Rin's neck, stopping at his shoulder line. He latched his mouth onto the skin - so beautiful, so smooth, he loved Rin's skin so much - but suddenly, Rin moved away from Haruka. Haruka stared at Rin, confused.

"No hickeys," Rin growled. "We went over this."

Hurt flashed in Haruka's eyes. "Why? You gave _me _a hickey."

"Because you belong to me." Rin inserted a third finger now, which Haruka likewise ignored but for a completely different reason.

"You're saying that you don't belong to me?" Haruka retorted, hearing his voice raise a few uncharacteristic decibels. Rin's eyes were blank.

"No," he said. "I don't."

Haruka was stupefied. "Why do I belong to you, but you don't belong to me?"

"I have other women to meet. You only have me, Haru."

It was so true. Haruka only had Rin.

"But," Haruka began. Images of happy couples he saw on TV flashed through his head. "But this is supposed to be a mutual thing. We're supposed to only be each other's."

Rin stared at him with an unreadable expression. "I don't know what you're thinking, Haru, but you're misunderstanding some things. This is a physical thing, not an emotional thing. We're giving each other pleasure. That's all there is to it."

Haruka opened and closed his mouth, completely ignoring the strange stretching sensation down below. Rin removed his fingers, working on coating his erection with lubricant, but Haruka didn't register it at all.

"You don't love me," Haruka said flatly. Rin glanced at him as he readied his erection along Haruka's entrance.

"Not romantically," Rin said. "I'm not gay."

_Then why are you doing this?_ Haruka wanted to ask, but his lips remained clamped together as something big and warm entered him. The sensation was uncomfortable, painful actually, but it was nothing compared to the collapse Haruka was feeling inside.

Betrayed. He felt so betrayed. And sick to his stomach. Not figuratively, mind you. Haruka genuinely wanted to vomit. Maybe it was the fall from complete euphoria to ruin. It was like a rollercoaster. Haruka was never good with roller-coasters.

One minute, you were at the very top, staring at the people below you who were just ants from where you were, and you felt strong and happy even though you knew exactly how hard you could fall. But it was impossible. You couldn't fall, not when you were so high up and so free from everyone else. And then you actually fell, rushed at breakneck speeds to the ground, and you're unable to believe that you fell. It seemed impossible from up high, but it was happening, and the shattering of your fantasy shocked you. When you finally reached the bottom, you just felt sick to your stomach, sick because you realized exactly how low and how human you actually are, and that no amount of height would free you from ruin.

That was what Haruka felt.

Before, Haruka was afraid that his body would explode at the sheer amount of feelings within. Now, it felt like his body was caving in, trying to compensate for the sudden emptiness inside. He felt empty, so empty, despite the erection that was filling him up. All the butterflies and unicorns and rainbows were fleeing his body en masse, and there was only one orifice available to escape through: his eyes.

Tears. He was crying. All the good feelings were leaving him. He crossed his arms over his head, ignoring Rin's command to not hide his face, ignoring his earlier promise to not cry during the sex. His body moved up and down by the force of Rin's thrusts, and though the physical pain had faded away, Haruka only felt numb. He couldn't feel any pleasure from the action, even though he desperately thought that he should.

A choked sob. It wreaked his body. He felt Rin halt his thrusts, but he paid no heed. The tears were overflowing uncontrollably, and Haruka could only sob silently at the horrible void inside him.

"Hey, you're soft."

"Are you crying?"

"Stop that, Haru. You're making me soft."

"You fucking promised you wouldn't cry."

He ignored it. He ignored the quiet sigh and the intruding object that slid out of his body. He took the opportunity to turn to the side away from Rin, burying his face deep in the pillow. He clutched it to his face painfully, as if it was the only thing that could make the horrible _pain _go away, ignoring how his overflowing tears and runny nose ruined the material. A hand moved to massage his back comfortingly, but it burned more than it comforted.

"Stop," he choked out. "Don't touch me." Rin ignored him, and the hand continued to press into his back, branding him with pain. He sobbed, his body trembling with each wave.

"Hey, stop crying." Rin's voice was both exasperated and uncertain. "Stop it. Not cool during sex."

That didn't help at all. Haruka sobbed harder, and Rin seemed to sense his mistake, backtracking hastily.

"Look, I'm sorry for making you cry. Maybe I shouldn't have been so blunt. Hey, Haru, are you listening? Hello? We can go back to kisses, if you want. I'll kiss you as much as you want. No more angry sex, promise. Come on, Haru. Listen to me."

He flinched when he felt a hand rest on his head, patting his hair gently. He sniffled, attempting to rein in the uncontrollable sobs, lifting his head from the pillow just enough to see Rin's exasperated eyes. Haruka was certain he looked like shit, but Rin didn't comment, instead moving his hand to stroke Haruka's cheek.

"That's it, Haru. Stop crying. See, everything's fine. Good boy."

The last sentence felt like swallowing a pill for Haruka; it was bitter and unpleasant, but it fully realigned Haruka with the reality of his situation. He propped himself up slowly, his arms trembling both from the exhaustion following his earlier orgasm and the horrible feeling that was eating away at Haruka. Rin grabbed his shoulders and adjusted him so he was leaning against the headboard.

"Hey, Haru. I'm sorry for making you cry. Probably should have realized that you'd misunderstand since you're a virgin." Haruka almost smiled humorlessly. It was so like Rin to unintentionally insult someone during an apology. "No hard feelings, right, Haru?"

Nope. Not at all. Plenty of hard feelings.

Rin seemed to hear his unspoken thoughts, moving in to kiss Haruka gently. Haruka remained stone-still, not responding to the uncharacteristically soft kisses. Nonetheless, Rin pressed on, kissing him with uncharacteristic restraint, nuzzling softly in a way that just an hour ago Haruka would've loved. It was ironic that Haruka realized exactly how much he longed for Rin to hold him and kiss him gently right after the asshole tore his heart out, stomped on it, and pissed on it. It was even more ironic that Rin was only doing so because Haruka practically guilt-tripped him.

Rin was sucking at his bottom lip gently, now, kissing it and caressing it tenderly, apologetically. He pulled back, taking a breath and examining the stony-faced boy before him, leaning in for a second round, just to find his lips pressed against Haruka's palm.

"Stop," Haruka said flatly, pushing Rin's face away from his with his hands. "I'm leaving."

He rolled himself to the edge of his bed, donning his underwear and his shorts and straightening his wrinkled shirt. Rin did nothing, just stared at him anxiously. As Haruka made his way to the door, he was suddenly stopped by Rin's uneasy voice.

"No hard feelings, right?"

Haruka's hand was paused midair, just an inch from the door handle, and he turned around to send Rin a humorless smirk.

"No hard feelings."

He left the room and Rin with an ominous finality.

* * *

A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUN!11! (OOC Haru!)

Phew! That was a long chapter! The longest yet, I believe, and also the chapter I put the most emotion into. This was a heavy chapter for me to write, and I hope this was a heavy chapter for you to read. Without a doubt, this story has deviated a lot from what I originally planned (example 1: Daichi Watanabe), but this scene was in my mind since the very beginning. This scene was actually a large part of what motivated me to write this story. I hope it was powerful to you as it was powerful to me.

That being said, I have some comments on the story in general. I certainly think that this story has many flaws. There are problems with its execution and problems with its plot in general, but I hope it successfully built up to this chapter, at least enough for the reader to be emotionally affected. Probably not. But to be honest, this story is, to me, an experimental thing more than anything. I hope to look back on this story in the future and see it as a stepping stone in my "career" as a fanfic writer.

Awkward personal confession aside. I forgot to include questions for some of the past chapters. I'll ask some now. What do you think Rin is feeling at the end of the chapter, based on his relationship with Haru? What do you think Haru is going to do? What do you think Rin is feeling towards Haruka in general? Also, I know Daichi wasn't mentioned in this chapter at all, but where do you think he comes in in this fiasco?

Reviewers. If I knew cutting off the chapter right before sex was going to get me so many reviews, maybe I would've done it earlier. xD I was very surprised at the number of reviews. Twenty! You guys/gals are crazy! I'm glad that the last chapter got a lot of silent readers to speak up.

Thank you, reviewers: CupcakeAlchemist, Elvent, the-l0llip0p, jtchibifan, curosityisn'tcurious, iMakeMistakes, Arelinna, Freyco, Mplunkett, Suzaku-chan, pennamesareforfancypeople, seijuurou, Animecherryblossem33, FallenAngel1129, Say-It, The Unabiding Helios, Hey Those Beats, antichthon. (See, there's so many of you that I made the thank-you section a whole 'nother paragraph because I hate cramped paragraphs but wait I'm making this paragraph cramped oh the paradoxes of life-)

Anyways, the next update will be the last before school starts. The following update will be on the first day of school, so expect it to happen, but anything after that is open game. I pray to the homework gods to spare me! Until then, lovely readers! :3


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Warning! Daichi is a heavy curser.

* * *

After about half an hour of walking aimlessly through the neighborhood, Haruka realized quite suddenly that it was almost five. People would be waking up soon, and the last thing Haruka wanted at the moment - besides seeing Rin, of course - was having his emotional turmoil and his scraggly appearance be laid bare to the public. He needed to go somewhere, but... where?

Not school. Definitely not school. Haruka couldn't take any more stress. Not back to his house. Chances were Makoto already noticed his absence, and he didn't want to explain jack squat to anyone. Not Nagisa's. The blond was too perceptive for his own good. Not Kou-san's either. It would be humiliating to let her see him like this, and Haruka really didn't want to see red hair and red eyes any time soon. Maybe Rei's, but it was among the first places that Makoto would search.

He shivered, suddenly wishing that he had accepted Rin's jacket if only to spite him. The cold was nipping at his bare arms and legs, and he only felt more isolated with the chilly wind. Where could he go? Who could he turn to? He briefly humored hiding away at the old swim club before he grimly remembered that it was already torn down.

A desperate thought. Watanabe-san gave everyone his contact information when he joined the club on Wednesday. He didn't have his phone with him, but Haruka was never one to rely on a piece of technology over his own memory. He could see every letter of the boy's address clearly in his head, and he remembered the boy saying that he lived alone.

Haruka hesitated. Did he really want to go to Watanabe-san's house? The bully was obnoxious, loud, and rude, everything that Haruka detested, especially after a painful rejection from someone with all those undesirable characteristics. Not to mention he had a not-so-subtle crush on Haruka, and Haruka didn't want to deal with any more romance.

But Watanabe-san was actually timid. Plus, he wasn't close to Haruka at all, so there would be no prying questions. And unlike Rin, Watanabe-san didn't have the guts to make a move on Haruka, and if he did, Haruka would be able to overpower him. If worst came to worst, Haruka could just bring up Kou-san to blackmail the boy.

He felt the desperation wash over him, filling him where the void once was. Watanabe-san, out of all people, was his last hope. He then realized exactly how far down the drain his life had spiraled, so far that all his friends were his enemies and all his enemies were his friends. That one redheaded asshole held his heart on a silver plate. Not anymore, though. Said heart was at the bottom of a dumpster somewhere.

With that, he promptly spun on his heel and began heading to the direction of Watanabe-san's house, recalling that the bully lived in a nearby neighborhood.

The sun was rising. Lights were brightening in houses here and there, and he could hear the sounds of sinks and showers. He ignored it, ignored the yearning in his heart for water, the one thing that could temporarily purge the horrible vice-grip on his heart. He thought nothing of the strange looks he was no doubt receiving from the early risers, filtering out all outside noise until he finally stopped before a sliding door. At the side were the words _Watanabe residence_.

He rang the doorbell.

Very faintly, Haruka heard sounds of crashing and a loud curse from inside the house. A thunderous procession of stomps crescendoed right to the door, and it slid open with a violent jerk. Watanabe-san looked very disheveled in his wife beater and sweatpants. His irritated glare gave away to a surprised one before it faded into a wary look.

"What are you doing here, Nanase?"

Haruka felt like laughing. Watanabe-san remembered his promise to stop calling him Haruka-chan.

"You don't need to know," Haruka snapped harshly. Watanabe-san recoiled in surprise.

"Jeez, someone lost all their tampons," the bully muttered under his breath. "And I think I should know because this is _my _house, and you woke me up at _five _in the God damn morning. What are you doing here, Nanase?"

"Let me stay in your house for today."

Watanabe-san looked at him incredulously before bursting out in a round of fake guffaws. "You're hilarious, water freak!" he exclaimed after a particularly unconvincing laugh.

"I'm serious," Haruka growled lowly. His tone seemed to catch the other's attention.

"What, you're gonna use my house as a hidey-hole while you play hooky?" the other growled in return, but Haruka could see the unease in Watanabe-san's eyes. It made Haruka feel powerful, and for a moment, Haruka understood why Rin wanted to dominate him so much.

"Yes. Let me in."

"No way." Watanabe-san crossed his arms and shifted his weight anxiously. Haruka stared darkly into the boy's eyes until the other looked away.

"That wasn't a question. It was an order. You're going to refuse the vice president of the swim club?"

"You have no right to come in," the other returned, scowling rebelliously at Haruka. "I'm going to call the police."

"And I'm going to tell Kou-san about what you do to me during class."

Watanabe-san froze. "You wouldn't."

"What makes you think I wouldn't?"

Watanabe-san attempted to glower over Haruka, but his gangly build greatly impaired the intimidating effect. "I'm not scared of Gou! Go ahead and tell her. I don't care!"

Haruka sent him an exasperated look. "Right. I'll call her now, then."

Haruka feigned grabbing his phone from his pocket, but Watanabe-san hastily grabbed his wrists.

"W-Wait! You can stay over! Just don't call Gou!"

Haruka relaxed his arms. "I'm glad we understand each other, Watanabe-san."

"Fuck you, asshole," he seethed as Haruka crossed the threshold, stepping quietly into Watanabe-san's house.

Haruka scanned the inside of the house as Watanabe-san stalked angrily to his room. Currently, he was in the living room, though calling it a _living _room would be quite an exaggeration since it was devoid of any signs of life. It was barren, furniture-less save for the laptop, headphones, and alarm clock resting on a blanket in the middle of the room. Conjoined to the living room was the kitchen, equally barren but at least with food products scattered here and there, most of them microwave-ready. At the opposite wall was a hall that probably led to Watanabe-san's living quarters, seeing as the boy reappeared from that area.

"Don't touch anything. Don't eat anything. Don't talk. Stay in the living room. I don't want to see you do anything else," he fumed when he returned. Watanabe-san looked slightly better, taming his unruly bed hair back into its unruly everyday state. "Bathroom is down this hall. First entrance to the right. You're limited to one piss for the day. Not now, though, 'cause I need it to get ready for school. Stay here."

Watanabe-san glared at Haruka once more before disappearing again into the hall. Haruka sighed, sitting himself tiredly against the living room wall, feeling the strenuous activity and the lack of sleep catch up to him. He leaned his head against the wall, covering his face with a pained sigh and praying to whatever god above to kill him right now. He felt _so _tired and _so _sick.

Some time later, when Haruka was teetering on the edge of consciousness, the opening of a door and some footsteps snapped Haruka out of his dreamy haze. He cursed out loud, hating the universe for returning him to the real world right when he was about to fall asleep, right when he could escape all the shit poisoning him from the inside. He felt like crying out to the world, and only the disgust of letting Watanabe-san experience such an emotional breakdown kept him in line.

"Watch your mouth, Nanase," he heard. "Don't cuss at me when I so graciously let you stay at my house."

Haruka didn't respond. The footsteps came closer.

"You look like shit."

Thank you, Sherlock. Haruka ignored the urge to flinch away when he felt the other lean in so closely that his breath tickled Haruka's neck.

"Is that a hickey?"

Haruka slowly opened his eyes, taking in Watanabe-san's scornful but curious face tiredly. "It's none of your business."

Watanabe-san sneered smugly. "Calm your tits, dude. It's okay. Sometimes, girls will cheat and dump you. I understand, dude."

Haruka resisted the urge to punch Watanabe-san in the face, choosing instead to turn his head away from the bully. He felt the boy stand up and walk away, feeling an empty relief when Haruka was finally left alone, but a coldness at his cheek startled him into a jump. He whipped his head around to glare at Watanabe-san, who was grinning condescendingly as he held a water bottle to Haruka's face.

"Chill. Just some water. I'm sure a water freak like you will appreciate it."

Intent on ignoring him, Haruka snatched the water away coldly, downing the soothing water in big gulps. His body prickled when he realized that Watanabe-san was not backing away and was staring at him intently.

"Is there something on my face?" Haruka said coldly, turning away from Watanabe-san.

"Yes, actually. Some snot and tears." Haruka felt the boy sit against the wall beside Haruka. "Unrequited love sucks balls, right?"

Haruka glanced at Watanabe-san warily. "What's it to you?"

"Take a chill pill, Nanase. Just forget all the shit between us for a sec, will ya?"

Haruka adjusted his body so he wasn't facing away from Watanabe-san anymore, choosing to observe the other quietly through the side of his eye. Gone was the shitty smirk or the ugly sneer. Watanabe-san was staring blankly at his own water bottle.

"Don't you have to go to school?" Haruka questioned, taking in the uniform that Watanabe-san was now wearing. He scoffed.

"I'm not leaving you alone in my house. You'll trash it. And who wants to go to school anyways?" The expression on his face faded into something calmer, sadder. "And I get it, bro. I'm going through an unrequited love of my own."

Haruka stared at him before turning away to stare at the water bottle in his hands. "I know."

Watanabe-san jerked up. "You know?" His face flushed. "You found out at the mall, right? Shit, that wasn't exactly my best moment."

"It wasn't," Haruka agreed.

Watanabe-san's looked away, staring intently at the floor. "You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Why would I?"

"Dunno. 'cause I always bully you, I guess. Shit, I should probably stop bullying you then."

"I would appreciate that," Haruka murmured quietly. He hugged his knees to his chest, resting his chin on his arm. The silence that followed was strangely pleasant despite Haruka's expectations, and he found himself relaxing in Watanabe-san's company.

"So I shared a little something," Watanabe-san suddenly said. "Now it's your turn. What the fuck happened, Nanase?"

His grip on his knees tightened. "They were only after my body."

"Aaaw, man, that sucks," Watanabe-san groaned, and Haruka could only snort at the lame overreaction. "Yeah, some chicks are like that. I kinda get it, though. Your bod is kinda hot."

Watanabe-san haphazardly wiggled his eyebrows, and Haruka almost burst out laughing at how ridiculous it looked. "Flattery won't get you anywhere."

"It got me in the swim club."

Haruka's eyebrows rose. "You flattered Gou to get in the swim club?"

Instantly, Watanabe-san looked as if his head was dipped in luminescent red dye. "W-well, sort of. Kind of. I-I just told her I'll behave. I wanted to be with the person I like."

The last line was said with a whisper, and Haruka felt queasy at its implications. He chose to ignore it and pretended not to notice the flaming blush on Watanabe-san's face, instead glancing at the clock beside the laptop. "You know, you're going to miss the train at this rate."

Watanabe-san paled. "Shit. I take back what I said earlier. I'm going to school."

He scrambled into the hall, returning with his school bag in tow. "I take back the food and piss thing too. You can eat anything in the kitchen and piss any time. Just don't go overboard, 'kay?"

Haruka nodded quietly while Watanabe-san scrambled for a granola bar. He threw one at Haruka.

"Think of it as a thanks for the bromance, Haru. And can I call you Haru?"

"Yeah," Haruka assented softly.

"Awesome. And you can call me Daichi, 'kay? We're bros now, dude."

Haruka smirked. "Yeah. 'Bros'. Try not to miss the train, Daichi."

"Don't wreck my house, Haru."

With that, Daichi sprinted out the door, tie loose, pants on backwards, granola flying everywhere. Haruka leaned against the wall, sighing and relishing in the silence. A strange calm washed over him, and he found his eyes closing and his mind sinking into sleep much easier. It didn't have to be hard, Haruka realized. It didn't have to be hard, or complicated, or painful. Watanabe-san - no, Daichi showed that to him today.

All he had to do was avoid Rin.

* * *

A/N: Plan DCRH (Daichi Cockblocking Rin Haru) initiate!

Ufufufu... I am so excited about this chapter. It dropped a few hints about the twist I have in mind. *Squeals* I can't wait to write the twist!

So. Today is the last day of summer. I am bummed out. Fortunately for you, I've already written half of the next chapter. I was trying to build a buffer, but it's kind of too late at this point. :/ Please spare me, homework gods! Unfortunately, I have plans for the day, so I didn't have time to look over this chapter much, hence a shorter, lower quality chapter. Oh noes!

Reviewers. Twenty-one reviews this time. Like... wow. Apparently, a few of you connected _personally _with the last chapter. O_O I am blown away by that response! I thought that my execution wasn't strong enough for people to personally connect with the chapter. That means a lot to me since it's my goal as a writer. Thanks to the reviewers! The Unabiding Helios, Arelinna, Hey Those Beats, HappyDrageneel, Say-It, fairy-maid-sama, R0ach, the-l0llip0p, HavenRose, curosityisn'tcurious, Animecherryblossem33, Elvent, Neevey, Nami1415, 6xXBladeXx9, Freyco, FallenAngel1129, seijuurou, PinkSugarDust, Victorious-Mind, JulieBecker.

A few messages to the reviewers before I go. No, the episode and the last chapter were completely unintentional. xD I did not conspire with KyoAni to torture your feels. And a lot of you seem to like sadist Rin and masochist Haru. I am ROFLMAO.

That being said, see you next time! School is horrible. Dx


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Warning! Cursing, hypothetical suicide, hypothetical self-harm, hypothetical drug abuse, etc.

* * *

It was almost twelve hours of inactivity before Daichi returned.

Twelve hours stripped of anything to do. Haruka hated that feeling because it let his mind wander.

He slept for a good portion of the twelve hours and teetered on the edge of consciousness for the remaining portion, always feeling not quite alive, like he was in a limbo. Or a coma. Or maybe the poison eating his heart had finally succeeded, and he really was dead.

First, he dreamed of Rin waking up and going to Samezuka, his hair haggard and the redness of his eyes betraying tears. He dreamed of Rin crumbling into despair, debasing himself into taking drugs, prostitution, anything to fill in the void that replaced his heart. He dreamed of Rin one day going to the ocean and swimming as far as he could before drowning, so he was dead physically and not just emotionally.

His second dream was the same, but this time, Haruka was at the beach when he attempted suicide. He dreamed that he saw Rin, wreaked with the emotional struggle. He dreamed that he was horrified and ran up to Rin, pulling him away from the water forcefully and turning Rin to face him. He dreamed that he shouted at Rin, screaming at him for the answers to his questions - "What are you doing?" "Why are you doing this?" "What's wrong with you?" - before Rin broke down and cried into his arms, and Haruka, despite the the acid that scarred his heart forever, forgave Rin for everything he did and just hugged him. He dreamed that when Rin finally calmed down, they kissed each other, sweetly and comfortingly.

In his third dream, Haruka was at the beach again. In his dream, he saw Rin and knew the redhead's intentions. In his dream, Rin saw him as well and almost seemed to be asking for his permission. In his dream, Haruka only smirked and flipped the bird, watching every step and every stroke Rin took to his death with the eagerness of watching a favorite TV show.

The fourth dream was different. He dreamed of Rin going to the joint practice one day, just to see Haruka and Daichi attached to the hip, following each other everywhere, pecking lips whenever they thought no one was looking. He dreamed that Rin saw his world crumbling before him, that he suddenly realized everything he lost when he stabbed the knife into Haruka's heart. He dreamed that Rin went to the ocean that night and drowned himself.

His fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth dream were the same, but this time, Haruka was the one committing suicide. Haruka was the one sobbing into Rin's shoulder. Haruka was the one who saw Rin flip the bird. Haruka was the one who saw Rin being intimate with another woman. And each time he woke up from those dreams, Haruka could only realize that it was the most likely situation. Rin didn't care about what he did to Haruka; Haruka cared with every square inch of his being. The pain of the repeated realization never failed to send Haruka back to sleep, searching for escape from the torturous acid filling his entire body.

It was almost twelve hours of inactivity before Daichi returned with exclamations of how shitty he looked and why didn't you eat anything like I told you to you look like death but Haruka couldn't hear him. He didn't open his eyes either, because he didn't want to see the judgmental red digits of the alarm clock that admonished him for his weakness.

He was too busy sinking in and out of his daze to notice that Daichi carried him home.

* * *

The one thing that snapped him out of his daze was Makoto's presence at his house.

"Daichi-san. Haru," Makoto addressed solemnly. Daichi, who was supporting Haruka, startled, jerking Haruka painfully against the door frame.

"H-hello, Makoto-san," Daichi greeted anxiously, eyes darting back and forth, focusing on everything but Makoto. "W-what are you doing here?"

Makoto crossed his arms firmly, frowning deeply. "I was waiting for Haru to show up."

Haruka pulled himself out of Daichi's grasp, massaging his arms slowly as he looked calmly into Makoto's grave eyes. "How did you get in, Makoto?"

"I didn't lock the door when I left this morning," he explained tersely, looking at Haruka with an expression akin to disappointment. "But more importantly, you need to explain some things, Haru."

Haruka ignored Makoto and walked past him calmly, stopping and the refrigerator and pulling out a water bottle. "Sit on the sofa, Daichi," he instructed coolly, jolting the bully once again. He took a seat on the floor, sitting across from Makoto, while Daichi hesitantly obeyed and sat himself on the sofa.

Makoto sighed, massaging his temples. "Haru, where did you go?"

Haruka remained silent, taking a large gulp of water and watching Daichi fidget uncomfortably in his seat. Makoto sighed again before turning to Daichi with a tired smile.

"I take it you gave him a ride, Daichi-san?" he asked kindly. Haruka sent a warning glance at the bully, and he squeaked timidly.

"Y-yeah. I-I just carried him out of my home and gave him a ride on my bike," Daichi stuttered quietly, staring intently at his laced hands. Makoto raised an eyebrow.

"Haru was at your home?"

"That's none of your business," Haruka growled before Daichi could open his mouth. Makoto flinched slightly, smile fading.

"Haru, I'm just worried about you," Makoto murmured quietly. "You haven't been like yourself for the past few days."

"Maybe I just need some space," Haruka continued coolly. Makoto's shoulders sank forward, and Haruka felt a stab at his dilapidated heart. He closed his eyes.

"No," Haruka sighed, his voice thin with burden. "Sorry, Makoto. I'm just - I'm just going through some things. Sorry about that. I'm going to take a bath."

Makoto didn't say anything as Haruka heaved himself tiredly onto his feet.

An ominous silence blanketed over the group as Haruka stepped slowly, lethargically away from the living room before disappearing behind the door of the bathroom. The sound of water trickled out of the room, the tell-tale sign of a filling bathtub, and as soon as the bath was filled, Haruka dove in.

He sank his head under the water, and he randomly wondered if it was possible to cry underwater. He dismissed the thought quickly because, regardless of how much he could try, his tears had already run out.

* * *

Makoto sat stone-still on the floor, paralyzed with... shock? Anger? No, nothing quite so severe or passionate. It was a more muted, jaded feeling, like disappointment. Or just plain exhaustion. The feeling echoed through him, making his ears ring.

"U-uhm. Makoto. Sir." Daichi feigned a cough. "Can I go, now? I have homework to do."

A fleeting thought crossed Makoto's mind. Daichi was more loose-tongued than Haruka was. The thought of weaseling information behind his best friend's back sickened him, but the sight of dead-eyed, haggard-faced Haruka from just a minute ago made the bile rise to his throat. He swallowed uncomfortably, forcing the feeling down.

"Could you stay for a moment?" Makoto asked gently. "I have a few questions I want to ask you."

"I-I'm flattered, president, but I'd really rather not-,"

"Daichi-san." There was a distinctive edge in Makoto's voice. "Please. This is important. It affects the Iwatobi swim club, and it's your responsibility as a member to work for the club's security."

"Okay. Sorry," Daichi peeped meekly.

Makoto attempted to smile reassuringly at the bully, but it appeared more as a grimace. He sighed for the umpteenth time.

"Was that a mosquito bite, or was that a hickey?" Makoto asked. Daichi jumped at the question, making a noise akin to a small animal's.

"I, uh - that was a hickey," he sputtered weakly. Makoto closed his eyes, kneading the bridge of his nose reassuringly. He hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.

"Why was he at your house?" Makoto asked, eyes opening slowly.

"I dunno, really," Daichi muttered, stroking his neck anxiously. Makoto frowned, and Daichi quickly continued. "I-I mean, he just came to my house and we talked about some stuff. Yeah."

"What were you talking about?" Daichi looked away.

"Well, just bro stuff, you know?" He said quietly. "Like, chicks and love and shit."

Makoto massaged his temples, listening lightly to the faint splashes from the bathroom. It was exactly what he thought it was. His head fell into his palms heavily, and Makoto wanted to give in to the exhaustion right then, right there.

They remained quiet, Makoto frozen save for the faint heartbeats and the shallow breaths that gave any indication that he was indeed alive, and Daichi breathing quickly in anticipation.

"You have my blessing," he said lowly, not looking up from his hands. Makoto heard Daichi jerk conspicuously in the sofa.

"I - you mean - how did you - y-you won't tell anyone, will you?"

Makoto lifted his head slowly, smiling faintly at Daichi's deer-in-headlights expression. "Don't worry. I won't. Just" - he broke off right before his voice cracked, taking a second to compose himself - "don't do anything stupid. I won't forgive you."

Clearly, the thought of Makoto, the gentle giant, harboring a grudge was tantamount to Daichi's worst nightmares as he quickly leaped off his seat and bowed sincerely at Makoto.

"T-thank you, president! I-I promise I won't do anything stupid. Cross my heart and hope to die. For real."

Makoto nodded slightly. "I'll hold you to your promise. Actually, I have a favor to ask."

Daichi halted, lifting his head up questioningly.

"Can you tell Haruka that I accept him for who he is?"

Daichi blinked, laughing and lifting a hand to run through his hair. "Sure, dude. But that's kinda a weird favor, for real. The gay's real deep here, man."

Makoto smiled lightly. "Maybe. But can you please tell Haruka for me? I want to give him some space."

"You shouldn't take what he said to heart, dude," Daichi continued easily. "He's just whack, man. I mean, seriously, who likes water that much?"

"Good thing Haru's not here to hear you," Makoto chided eyes softened. "And thank you for worrying about me and Haru. I just don't think I can help Haru right now."

"No probs, dude, but why're you asking me?"

Makoto smiled again, this time not tiredly nor genuinely, but sadly.

"Because you can help."

* * *

A/N: Ugh. First day of school, and things are already painful. There's so much to worry about, and I'm losing the groove of writing this fic. I'm not saying that I've lost interest in this fic, but that I'm not quite sure how to proceed from here, hence the decaying quality of work. ;_; Also, I'll be updating a few hours earlier because that's the only time I'll be able to update.

Thank you, reviewers: Elvent, Numb Manipulation, xjustanotherstar, iMakeMistakes, R0ach, bleepbloop559, Victorious-Mind, Guest, curosityisn'tcurious, Mplunkett, nihmya, FallenAngel1129, jtchibifan, Say-It, Aetoii, Black-Wolf-2631. I'll try to address any questions or concerns you all present, but time's running short. Nonetheless, I appreciate all of you taking your time to submit feedback! Not just the reviewers, all the favs and follows! I love you all!

I don't really know. I just got into an argument with my parents and it's late at night and I haven't even gotten my fill of Rinharu for the day. First world problems. And I am crying right now because it's only the first week of school but there's already tests in all my hardcore classes on Thursday and I am just dying because our school has a stupid policy of no homework/quizzes on Friday but THAT ONLY MAKES EVERYTHING DUE ON THURSDAY.

My brain is dead right now, so I guess that's it for now. See you next time (if there is a next time. DUN DUN DUUUUN).


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Moderate cursing.

* * *

_Bzzt_.

Yet another buzz from Haruka's phone jolted him out of his bath-induced daze. He mouthed a curse underwater before lifting his head out of the water to look at the phone.

Haruka mentally counted the full ten minutes his phone had been incessantly buzzing. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, the time of Haruka's weekend baths. No one had the gall to interrupt Haruka's relaxation time, no one but a certain asshole with absolutely no consideration of Haruka's emotions. Haruka's already frayed patience was running thin.

_Bzzt_. The phone buzzed again. Haruka scowled at the phone, humoring the idea of splashing water all over the cursed thing to shut it up permanently, but the memory of his grandmother buying the phone for him stopped him. He instead reached an arm to pick up the phone, intent on blocking Rin from his contacts list forever.

To his surprise, Rin did not message him much, save for the first two texts, both of which Haruka deleted without a second glance. The remaining messages were from Nagisa, who asked him worriedly why he missed school on Friday, and from Daichi, who said something about Makoto. Haruka frowned, eyes skimming over Daichi's message a second time. His finger hovered over the reply button, but suddenly, he moved it away and pressed the call button instead. The phone rang once, twice, thrice-

"Hello?"

For whatever reason, the rugged voice washed a wave of calm over Haruka.

"Daichi," he murmured with slightly more emotion than he wanted to show. "It's Haruka."

Daichi paused for a second before his bright voice blasted out of the speakers. "Heey! Haru! Dude, you called me! We really are bros now, dude."

"I thought we established that yesterday."

"Yeah, man, but you looked kind of pissed when I was talking to Makoto-san so I guessed the bromance was off."

"Speaking of Makoto." Haruka glanced at the message. "What did you mean by your text?"

"Huh? Oh, that." Haruka heard shuffling from the other side. "Yeah, dude. Makoto-san just asked me to tell you that. Said something about not being able to help you or something. Said _I_ could help you. The hell's that supposed to mean? Real gay, dude."

Daichi's words echoed through his mind like a broken record, and Haruka almost laughed out loud. Makoto knew about Daichi's crush, but what was that about Daichi being able to help him? Did he think they were dating? A weird sensation fluttered in Haruka's chest.

Haruka and Daichi... dating?

"Yeah," Haruka muttered lowly. "I - tell Makoto I said thanks. And that I'm sorry for yesterday."

"Sure, man," the other said easily. An awkward silence settled between them, which Daichi broke with a cough.

"So I guess I'll see you Monday, dude." The crackle of static made Daichi's voice even rougher. It reminded Haruka of Rin.

"Do you want to come over?"

Haruka almost slapped his hand over his mouth, the tips of his ears reddening with the déjà vu. The other end was silent, save for some static.

"Sure, man." The sigh of relief that escaped Haruka's lips dizzied him. "Right now?"

"In thirty minutes, maybe," Haruka said, already pulling himself out of the bath. As he reached for a towel, his voice softened considerably. "Think of it as a thanks for yesterday, Daichi. You helped me."

"No probs, no probs, dude! Just lay off the gay a bit, will ya?" An obnoxious laugh. "I'll have to punch a wall to get my balls grow again."

"You do that. See you."

"Bye, Haru!"

With a final click, the call ended. Haruka placed the phone to the side, intent on drying himself. The acid eating away at his heart was strangely gone now. The empty cavern inside of him no longer felt so barren. He shuddered.

Haruka dating Daichi.

If it would make him forget about Rin, Haruka was all in for it.

* * *

Later that night, after Daichi left his house and he was safe in his nightly bath, Haruka accidentally picked up a call from Rin.

"Haru, you finally picked up," a voice heavy with relief sounded. Haruka froze.

"I'm hanging up," he deadpanned, his flat voice hiding his violent heartbeats.

"_No no no no no_ wait. Shit. I was hoping you'd be in a better mood." A sigh. "Don't worry your pretty face, Haru. I'm not bringing up anything you'd rather not hear, just wanted to know if you're available right now."

"No!" His voice rose a few decibels, and the syllable echoed in his bathroom. Haruka bit his lip painfully, forcing the panic in his voice to go away. "I don't want to meet up."

"Come on, Haru." The voice was pleading now. "I said I'm sorry. We can both have fun. Just meet me at Samezuka's pool like always."

"I can't," he growled with frustration. Why can't Rin get a hint? "I can't meet up with you."

"Why not, Haru?"

_Because it hurts. Because I love you. Because every time I see you, I want to kiss you and brutally murder you at the same time. Because there's this weird stabbing feeling in my chest ever since we had sex and it won't fucking go away. Because you tore my still-beating heart out of my chest like a game of Mortal Kombat, spat on it, stomped on it, and threw it into the recycling bin to spite the environmental activists of the world. Because I hate you._

Haruka inhaled shakily, the phone slipping slightly in his hand.

"Because I'm dating someone right now."

The other end fell into a dead silence, and if Haruka didn't know better, he would've thought that Rin hung up.

"You what?"

"I'm dating someone," Haruka repeated, his voice growing calmer. "I'm in a relationship - an emotional one. I can't meet up with you because I'm dating someone else. Go find another boy toy, Rin."

It was silent for a few seconds.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I'm not kidding." Haruka sneered, a strange glee washing over him. "Go suck your own dick, Rinrin."

Once again, a dead quiet settled between them, the phone crackling its monotone drone. Then Rin hung up.

Haruka set his phone on the counter, awash with possibly more glee than ever in his life. It was like the jittery, explosive emotion he felt when the Iwatobi swim club secured the membership to an indoor pool, the same biting victory that left Haruka jumpy for days. Haruka always thought that he didn't care about winning, but now he begged to differ.

He won against Rin. He finally won against Rin.

And it felt fucking great.

* * *

The following Monday shocked everyone in Haruka's class.

As soon as Haruka entered with Makoto, Daichi approached him with a broad grin and a cheesy handshake, welcoming his new 'bros' to the classroom. Haruka could hear the thud of the class's collective jaw-drop, but he ignored, taking his seat with Makoto. Makoto glanced at him knowingly.

"I take it things are going well?" he asked softly. Haruka turned away coolly, knowing that Makoto would not take offense in the gesture.

"Yeah." Haruka muttered. Makoto just chuckled.

"I'm glad you're looking better," he said softly. "And I know Daichi told you this already, but I support you for who you are. I won't stop being your friend because of your sexuality."

Haruka said nothing, remaining stubbornly staring out of the window. Vaguely, he heard Ama-sensei stumble clumsily into the classroom, shouting at everyone to take their seats and take roll. The only thing he heard clearly was the muttered complaint from Daichi.

"Watanabe-kun! I heard that!" A pencil flew through the air, barely missing the bully's head. "Go back to your seat!"

Haruka smiled inwardly as Daichi returned to his seat with even more snide remarks. The whole school day went in one ear and flew out through the other for Haruka, and he spent his time glancing at the back of Daichi's head instead.

Later that day, when the club was changing their clothes and Rei was arguing adamantly with Kou-san and Ama-sensei about a quote, Nagisa approached him with a suspiciously cheery expression.

"Haru-chan, what happened on Friday? You usually never miss school."

"I didn't feel like going," he replied briskly, his attention captured by the sight of Daichi stubbing his toe and cursing like a sailor. Rei broke off from his sentence about Victor Hugo's syntax to glare at the bully incredulously.

"I heard from Nitori that Rin went out at night." Nagisa continued beside him. "Did you meet up with-"

"Rin has nothing to do with this," Haruka snapped with more acridity than intended. Nagisa blinked, his smile faltering slightly. Haruka returned his gaze to Nagisa, taking in the unnatural tilt of Nagisa's grin guiltily.

"You don't have to worry about me and Rin," Haruka sighed, forcing the bite away from his voice. "I'll take care of it. No, I already took care of it."

He took another glance at Daichi, who was rolling on the ground and shouting profanities as Makoto attempted to soothe him and Ama-sensei laughed at the spectacle. Now, Nagisa's smile was gone completely, replaced with a look of utter confusion. The blond opened his mouth to say something, but a loud splash from the pool interrupted him.

"Fuck!" Daichi screamed, soaked to the bone and flailing wildly in the pool. "Help! Get me out! I can't swim!"

Haruka broke away from Nagisa, walking calmly to the commotion of a sympathetic but exasperated Makoto, a guffawing Ama-sensei, a sighing Kou-san, and a Rei with the most ridiculously baffled expression in the world. He grabbed onto one of Daichi's floundering arms and yanking him up and out of the water. Daichi hugged the arm to his chest tightly.

"You're unbelievable," Haruka said with a smirk. Daichi just sputtered, tightening his hold.

"Shut up! Not everyone's a fucking prodigy at swimming, bro!"

Haruka ignored the inquisitive glance expression on Nagisa's face, the cautious observation from Makoto, the resumption of Ama-sensei's and Rei's obscure debate, and the sharp gleam in Kou-san's eyes. He was too busy smirking at the flustered expression on Daichi's face, relishing the amusement that bubbled in him and the hands gripping Haruka's arm. As Haruka pulled a muttering Daichi from the pool, something warm swelled in him.

"I can teach you how to swim," he heard himself say.

That efficiently caught everyone's attention. Nagisa looked completely baffled, and Makoto simply raised an eyebrow. Even Rei and Ama-sensei halted their discourse to glance questioningly at Haruka and Daichi. Haruka continued to ignore it all, focusing on the only thing that mattered. Daichi wore a look of confusion, but he grinned nonetheless.

"Sure, dude." He replied, slightly disconcerted but nonetheless bright. "Learning swimming from a mermaid. I'm a lucky man."

Haruka patted him on the shoulder, looking past the bully to see Kou-san staring at them with a dark expression. It was accusatory, asking him questions that he didn't have the answer to. He refocused his gaze on Daichi, an urgent unease nagging at him, but he shoved it away. He had already come so far. Haruka would not let _anything _distract him.

"We can start today," he said. "Let's buy you some swim gear after practice, if you have time."

"I have time," Daichi said absentmindedly, frowning as he wrung his soaked shirt. "Not like I'll do my homework anyway."

"Hey!" Nagisa was waving at them. Daichi looked up, but Haruka ignored him. "We can go with you!"

"Nagisa," Makoto spoke up. Nagisa faltered, the doe-eyed expression of confusion returning to his face. "Let's give Haru and Daichi-san some privacy."

"What? But why?"

"You know what I mean." Makoto placed a hand on Nagisa's shoulder, pulling him towards where Kou-san, Rei, and Ama-sensei were standing. Makoto whispered something too quiet for Haruka to hear, but the blank reaction spoke volumes.

"Hey, what're they talking about?" Daichi asked, snapping Haruka's attention back onto the bully's face. "Are they talking shit about us?"

"Makoto doesn't 'talk shit'," Haruka replied dismissively, patting the bully's shoulder once again. His hand lingered a bit longer than necessary, relishing the contact. "You should probably dry yourself."

Daichi blinked before scowling. "Oh. Right, dude. That's a good idea." He wandered towards the school building, pausing to stand confusedly. "Now where is that ugly towel?"

Haruka pointed at a direction, spying the huddle break up from the corner of his eye. Makoto looked calm, Ama-sensei and Rei looked surprised, and Nagisa looked perturbed. As they resumed the swimming schedule and lined up on the starting blocks, kickboards in hand, a flash of red caught Haruka's attention. Kou-san stood in the far corner, her face hidden incompletely by a tree's shade. But Haruka didn't need to see her face to realize the skeptical expression she had on her face.

The practice flew by like the wind, and Haruka and Daichi visited a pool store to buy supplies. The entire time, Haruka was plagued with two thoughts - one, actually, because they converged into the same thing. The first was Rin. The second was Daichi.

Haruka knew what to do.

* * *

A/N: Uneventful, yeah. Whatever. I completed almost all my homework at school so I could have time to update this. And playing instruments in a ridiculously competitive tier is incredibly frustrating.

I dunno. I guess I'll go ahead and thank the reviewers: Elvent, Victorious-Mind, iMakeMistakes, curosityisn'tcurious, RubyRed78, Mplunkett, the-l0llip0p, Ikaruze, FallenAngel1129, seijuurou, The Unabiding Helios. Really, thanks for all the motivation and feedback. It means a lot, especially when school is crushing my sooouuul. Dx And this fic is a favorite for a few of you. I never thought that this fic is good enough to become anyone's favorite in the ship, in the fandom, whatever. That's really awesome! Hugs and kisses to all of you!

I have a question. Would you, the reader, be fine with updates every three days instead of every two? I'm not at that point yet, but I'll probably reach it soon. It would just make things easier for me. And we can't end this chapter without some good news! I have a day off next week (yeah, I don't understand it either) so I'll be able to work on this fic more! :D I'll try to build a buffer.

That's it for now. Hasta luego, si todavía estoy viva! Estoy practicando mi español! (Don't blame me for any wrong tenses or vocab I haven't learned future tense yet Dx Google Translate is my swag, yo! #yolo)


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Cursing, and a guest reply.

Guest: Thank you for the input! It's always insightful to see a less positive review. I'll keep that in mind when I write the later chapters. Also, no worries about the change of pace you mentioned. ;) I plan to make that happen.

* * *

It was absurd how much Haru rubbed Rin the wrong way, like he was born for the sole purpose of frustrating Rin. Haru had always been submissive, if only because resisting took too much effort, especially for something not related to swimming. It was what never failed to infuriate Rin, knowing that a someone so lax was better than him at swimming, even when he worked himself to the bone everyday, even when he ran and swam countless laps around the school or the pool, even when he devoted the whole of his being to his dream. It was infuriating, but the one thing that topped it off was how Haru refused to submit in the _one_ instance Rin wanted him to submit. It was infuriating beyond measure.

"Matsuoka-senpai, are you okay?"

The voice, muted and dull as he replayed Haru's last words by phone over and over again, snapped Rin out of his thoughts. Rin turned to look at Nitori, whose eyes were wide with genuine and, in Rin's opinion, juvenile concern. He turned away, fanning the wife beater he wore as Nitori quietly placed breakfast on the desk.

"Don't think that just 'cause you make breakfast I'll forgive you," he muttered. Nitori grinned sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Matsuoka-senpai, but I only did it because I was worried about you. You don't seem very happy around Nanase-san."

"That's none of your business, Nitori," Rin returned, glancing reluctantly at the minimalist meal at their shared desk. "How did you get into my phone, anyways?"

"It wasn't that hard." Nitori passed the bowl to Rin, who took it grudgingly. "You use your birthday for everything. Nagisa-kun told me."

Rin snorted, poking the rice in the bowl with his chopsticks. Damn Nagisa and his insistence to get involved. It was bad enough that Haru wasn't happy with him, but Nagisa's interference complicated things greatly. Rin would have to avoid both his roommate and Haru's friends.

His grip on the chopsticks tightened as Haru's scornful words flashed through his head, like the siren of a passing firetruck. Where did Haru learn how to shit-talk like that? And why the fuck wouldn't he just let it go? Rin remembered very clearly telling Haru that attachments were like the plague; they were to be avoided because there would be misunderstandings and bitch slaps and shit would just hit the fan. He never expected _Haru_, of all people, to be affected by the drama, and frankly it...

...it what? It disappointed him? Kind of. Their already shaky relationship was ruined, which Rin was prepared for, but nothing was resolved. Rin was still a sore loser. Haru still didn't take him seriously. There was no closure, no nothing. The one thing Rin hated more than anything was loose ends.

But he wasn't just disappointed. There was more than that, or else Rin wouldn't be feeling that gnawing sensation at his stomach. He was angry. That much was obvious. He was usually angry around Haru, angry at his flippant attitude and his disagreeable coldness, so it didn't surprise him. But it wasn't the usual fiery anger, the one that scorched every organ in his body and demanded to be satisfied. It was more resigned and unsure. Like he was unsettled. It was like hearing a call with the wind, as discreet as a dog whistle, warning him that he had screwed up immeasurably, and the consequences were not good. It felt ominous.

_I'm dating someone._

The words echoed in his head.

It was a lie. It had to be. Rin wasn't so oblivious, so it was completely insulting that Haru would spout such an obvious lie. Just the thought of Haru looking down on him so much as to tell such a despicable lie threw Rin into a sour mood. That was why he was so mad. It was like the protective anger that washed over him when Gou told him about her breakup with Haru.

The hazy memory resurfaced. Their incredibly short-lived romance had ended with Rin, somehow. Gou was terribly upset - obviously, because anyone would be upset to date someone as romantic as dirt - but she said that it was somehow _his _fault that the relationship failed. That implied a few things, one of which Rin did not even want to think about because there was no way it could be true and, to be honest, it scared Rin. A scared Rin was an angry Rin, and even he had a limit to his fury.

The screech of Nitori pushing his chair back to stand up jolted Rin out of his quickly descending train of thought. The kohai chirped his thanks for the meal, which Rin echoed quietly, and Rin returned his attention to the food before him that was completely untouched. He sighed, taking a bite. His body needed nourishment to improve.

Nitori said nothing as he carried his own dirty dishes to the sink, but the worried and slightly crestfallen face said it all. Rin ignored him, intent on eating, as a realization flashed through his head.

Today was a Tuesday.

Today, Rin would be seeing Haru.

He quickened his eating as the anticipation built up. For some reason, the thought eased the gnawing feeling in his stomach, if only a little.

* * *

This was not happening. This was so not happening. It was just a lie, a fabrication of some sort that Rin had created in his head to spite himself.

But the mirage didn't go away no matter how long he gaped at it, not even when Nitori approached him with slightly panicky queries about his state of mind and whether he was okay or not and other irrelevant things. It didn't go away when captain Mikoshiba approached the arriving Iwatobi swim club and greeted them. It didn't go away when Haru walked by, patting the imbecile's shoulder - how _dare _he touch that asshole's shoulder so intimately - and meeting his eye with a challenge. Rin felt the anger pump through his system.

"What are you doing?" he heard himself snarling past his thunderous footsteps. The club, his former friends and the new blue-haired megane, paused to look at him with expressions ranging from questioning to open distrust. He ignored them, glaring at the gangly blond walking closely, _too _closely beside Haru.

What was wrong with Haru? Did he not remember who Daichi Watanabe was? Did he forget all those years of tears and torment the bully put his dear little sister through? It was treason. Treachery. And Rin even _told _Haru to watch out for the Watanabe-asshole.

"Does it matter what they're doing?"

To Rin's surprise, it was Nagisa who spoke up, eyeing him warily. Rin faltered slightly, searching for Gou, who was standing to the side with an expression akin to anticipation. Rin didn't have time to relish the relief of seeing his sister unharmed as he felt a sharp slap on the back.

"Matsuoka!" blared Mikoshiba in his trademark coach voice. "I'm glad to see you catching up with our Iwatobi friends!"

Rin grimaced slightly. He still wasn't used to his captain's pep. Mikoshiba grinned largely at Gou.

"It's great to see you, Gou-kun! We haven't talked in a while!"

"At least drop the _kun_," the girl muttered quietly. Mikoshiba's grin just widened.

"I'm glad you're as perky as always, Gou-kun!" he exclaimed excitedly. "We should catch up after practice!"

Daichi frowned while Rin coughed loudly and purposefully. "We should start practice, captain."

For a second, Mikoshiba seemed taken aback by Rin's suggestion, but the excitement returned with ten times the radiance. He laughed his booming guffaw.

"Right on track as always!" he shouted with the loudness of the Bloop. "I see where you get your outstanding qualities from, Gou-kun! But you're right, Matsuoka. We should begin practice. Freshmen, get on the blocks! We're starting our warm ups!"

Rin followed his captain away from the Iwatobi swim club, glancing backwards as he walked. His fist tightened as he took in Watanabe patting Haru's shoulder, _where Rin nipped sensually as he felt the tremors of pleasure from the body below him_. He watched Watanabe gaze into those _half-lidded eyes that showed exhaustion but also an uncharacteristic liveliness as Rin kissed the breath out of him_. He watched Watanabe slap the small of his back, _where Rin placed his hand firmly, pressing the warm body close to him as Haru tried to mirror his administrations_. He then noticed the clear skin on Haru's neck.

The hickey was gone.

Well, no. It wasn't gone. Covered with concealer, to be precise, but the message was clear. Haru was ending their strange, undefined, friends-with-benefits relationship.

The thought didn't make his blood boil as Rin expected. Instead, Rin felt sick, sick to the very bottom of his stomach. The unease from the morning was back at full force. Rin realized that the dark premonition he felt in the nonexistent supernatural bone of his body was hinting at this very moment, when Rin felt like he could lose his mind at the plethora of emotions that sped through his mind. It demanded that he do something.

Rin needed to do something.

"Nitori, congratulations on breaking your personal record!"

He heard a jubilant whoop from the other side of the pool, looking at Nitori grinning so widely that it made his own cheeks hurt. It was a sweet sight. His roommate was endearing, like a little brother to Rin. Seeing Nitori's happy expression was like eating a triple-decker chocolate ice cream cake.

It made him sick to the stomach.

Nitori ran up to him, waving his arms excitedly. Rin tried to smile for his sake, feeling a strange combination of jealousy and guilt towards Nitori. Jealous that his junior was so free and unrestrained by a clusterfuck of nameless emotions. Guilty for being unable to feel happy for his personal victory for such a selfish reason. Either way, Rin realized that it wasn't Nitori's fault. It was Haru's.

He glanced back at Haru. At dark hair, blue eyes, and slender build.

Rin strolled up to the Iwatobi group numbly. His expression must have disclosed his intent, because gentle Makoto frowned, easy-going Nagisa stiffened, steadfast Gou seemed torn between two decisions, and the oblivious teacher and the fresh meat seemed wary of his approach. Watanabe looked terrified and Haru looked standoffish, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, and the twisting feeling intensified.

"Hello, Rin." Makoto smiled hesitantly. Nagisa was much more direct.

"What are you doing here? Practice has already started. Mikoshiba will call the second years up soon."

He ignored them as if they were flies buzzing at Rin's ear. He focused his gaze on Haru, who stiffened and adjusted himself slightly to stand in front of Watanabe. He felt liquid iron rush through his blood stream, and he turned aside to face Watanabe stiffly.

"Daichi Watanabe," he snarled lowly. The bully squeaked and jumped slightly. "I remember you. Don't think I don't."

At that, Watanabe paled considerably.

"You bullied my sister when we were younger. Always made fun of her name and made her cry," he continued, pulling all the past memories to build the red hot fire inside. Watanabe flinched, looking down.

"Onii-chan. Let it go. That was years ago," Gou spoke up, frowning.

"Yeah, sorry for that or something," Watanabe muttered quietly. Rin glowered over him.

"You call that an apology?" he snarled. Watanabe flinched back, but this time he rebounded, straightening his back slightly and using his height to his advantage.

"Fuck you, man," he returned shakily. "Dude, just let it go."

Haru was the first to realize what would happen, even before Rin did himself. Unfortunately, he was too late to react, because Rin's fist was already shooting through the air, straight towards its target.

A crack resounded in the building as Rin's fist met Daichi's face.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the lateness. I pretty much just went, "whatever" at the end of the chapter.

So a change of pace this chapter. For some reason I felt like writing long paragraphs. And we have Rin POV again! Yaaayssss.

Thanks reviewers: The Unabiding Helios, Doieversleep, Elvent, KoshiroEmika, R0ach, Hey Those Beats, FallenAngel1129, Ikaruze, Arelinna, HappyDrageneel, 297.1, seijuurou, curosityisn'tcurious, Victorious-Mind, nihmya, PaperChild, Aetoii, Freyco, Numb Manipulation, PinkSugarDust, Mplunkett, Chevanna, Tsuna De Vongola Decimo, the-l0llip0p, Guest, sharkBait17. There was quite a lot this time (thirty-one like wooow I've never gotten thirty-one reviewin just two days I am amaze). It was nice getting so much feedback, and I'll try to balance your suggestions and interests.

Uh. See you next time. (And fo' real, sorry for the laziness.)


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Cursing, obviously. And guest replies.

Guest: Wow! Thank you for that! It was very motivating. I'm more inclined to agree with those who say either Rin or Haru is at least slightly OOC, but I also agree with your point that Rin, at least, would be the more aggressive one in at least the beginning of a relationship. Thanks for reviewing. :)

Syn'ph: Haha, thanks for the review! Anon or not, it's refreshing to have a quiet reader speak up. And you're so right, jealousy is a bitch. D:

* * *

Fortunately, Haruka managed to catch Daichi as he rocketed backwards from the force of the blow. Rin was shaking, still looking furious, but he also seemed shocked by his own action, almost regretting it. Haruka himself was shocked. As explosive Rin's temper was, Haruka didn't expect it to manifest physically.

Like a wave, the entire room was bathed with silence. Everyone was frozen, even without knowing exactly what was going on, what was so shocking. Rin retracted his fist, trembling as Daichi laid paralyzed in Haruka's arms, right eye already swelling into an ugly reddish purple. His expression suddenly turned furious.

"Not cool, dude," he ground out propelling himself from Haruka's grasp to send a flimsy punch at Rin. Rin didn't bother to dodge, accepting the hit to his nose with nothing more than a slight flinch backwards. His expression was suddenly purged of any hesitation as well.

"Asshole." The fist was flying again towards Daichi's face, but this time, everyone was in action, realizing exactly how disadvantaged scrawny Daichi was against muscular Rin. Mikoshiba and Nitori were disregarding pool rules, sprinting towards them as fast as possible, but the slight lidding of their eyes told Haruka that they knew they wouldn't make it in time. Haruka moved first.

The crash of the second collision rang through the room just like the first. It wasn't louder or more painful sounding, but seemed to reverberate ominously throughout the room. Rin was first to move, recoiling and pulling his fist back as if burned. Daichi was second, grabbing Haruka's shoulders and shouting with panic at a numb Haruka. The audience was third, suddenly grabbing Rin by every limb available and yanking him away, almost as if they were trying to dismember him. Rin was pulled out of the room by the combined force of the Samezuka swim team, out a door and out from sight. Still, Haruka did nothing, just stared blankly into space as the blood trickled down his nose.

"Haru!" The cry was anguished. Makoto was at his side, his hands cupping Haruka's cheeks to turn his face. Haruka blinked at the forces movement, shaking his head slightly to shrug Makoto's hands away.

"I'm fine," he said flatly, reaching to his upper lip to wipe away the trail of blood there. Rei spoke up frantically.

"You're not fine, Haruka-senpai," he exclaimed. "Judging by the swelling of your nose, it's broken. You need treatment."

"No, I need swimming," Haruka muttered. Makoto frowned.

"You are not swimming in this condition, Haru. You need to go to the infirmary."

The group modded in agreement, their eyes heavy with somber emotions. Kou-san regarded him sadly, almost regretfully, while Daichi appeared a cross of completely lost and panicky. He stepped forward.

"Come on, dude." he pleaded. "Just for today. A day without swimming won't kill you."

"Yeah, Haru-chan!" Nagisa piped up, struggling to maintain his cheery smile. "We can go on a trip to a beach, or maybe a deserted island to make up for this."

"Nanase. Watanabe." It was the Samezuka vice-captain, who was fast-walking towards them in a nod towards the pool rules. His voice was calm, a strange contrast to the captain's boisterous volume. "Are you two all right?"

Daichi winced as he gently felt the darkening bruise. "I think I can manage without a trip to the doctors. Maybe an ice pack, or something."

"I'm fine," Haruka said curtly. Kou-san frowned.

"Haruka-senpai is not fine," she corrected, and Haruka almost scowled. "His nose is broken and bleeding."

"Nanase, I'm afraid you'll need to visit the infirmary," the vice-captain returned evenly, eyes skimming analytically over Haruka's nose. "Nitori, lead Nanase to the infirmary, and get an ice pack for Watanabe also." He motioned at the grey-haired boy standing to his side, who startled and nodded timidly.

"Where's Rin?" Haruka questioned. Nagisa's eyes widened as if asking, _why do you care_?

"Don't worry about him, Nanase," the vice-captain replied, glancing away. "We've removed him from the practice for today. He's talking to the captain. That aside, I'm afraid I can't let the practice be delayed any longer. Nitori, lead him away."

The freshman with the mole nodded his head awkwardly as Haruka stepped up, cupping his broken nose tenderly.

"Hello, Nanase-san," he said softly. Haruka nodded slightly in acknowledgement. They began walking.

As Haruka glanced back, he spied Kou-san talking quietly to the vice-captian, her expression worried and pleading and his expression stern but slightly doleful. He sighed, pointing at another exit in the building, and the girl's eyes brightened. She shook the vice-captain's hand sincerely before running off in the direction she was pointed.

Haruka turned away, feeling almost jealous. He pushed the feeling away, assuring himself that there was no good reason to see the person who assaulted him both physically and emotionally. He and Nitori exited the building in silence.

"You're Rin's roommate, right?" Haruka was the first to speak up. Nitori glanced him from the side, nodding shyly.

"You're Matsuoka-senpai's rival, right?"

Haruka shrugged, giving a noncommittal answer. Nitori looked away, chuckling.

"I guess not anymore," Nitori continued quietly. "He used to be so caught up with beating you, but he just started getting lazy one day. Then it was weird. He got back to working hard again, but kind of in a sloppy way. I don't know what senpai is thinking." The light blue eyes looked up. "Are you the reason?"

Haruka shrugged again, and Nitori smiled slightly. "You're just as uncooperative as Matsuoka-senpai."

The comparison put an unpleasant taste to the tip of Haruka's tongue, and he looked away stubbornly.

The rest of the walk was in complete silence, save for the demure goodbye the freshman gave when he nabbed an ice pack and Haruka was standing outside of the infirmary. Haruka waved goodbye as well, feeling strangely obligated to be nice to Rin's roommate - the poor boy probably already suffered enough from living with Rin without Haruka's help. He stood outside awkwardly, his nose unsightly and dripping blood. The redness dribbled onto his lips, and when he licked it, it tasted salty.

Haruka was born and raised in Japan, went through the education system like everyone else and learned seventeen years worth of words to express himself. But no matter how hard he searched for an adjective, a noun, anything, he couldn't find anything to describe the emotion he felt.

It was like disappointment. Or disillusionment. Or like that one time when Haruka tried to stay awake for three consecutive days to watch after the betta he bought at a pet store, just to watch its corpse float to the top of the water by the end of it. Haruka knew, however, that it wasn't a hopeless feeling, nothing quite as final as an organism's death.

He was just one step closer to getting over Rin.

* * *

"Onii-chan!"

The familiar call was more effective than Mikoshiba's stern reprimands in snapping Rin out of his daze. His head jerked up painfully, and he saw the sight of his little sister jogging up to him, almost out of breath.

"Gou-kun, what are you doing here?" Mikoshiba exclaimed, eyes widening. "Not that I'm complaining, but your brother and I are in a private discussion right now."

"Mikoshiba-kun!" she gasped before throwing her body down into a full ninety-degree bow. Both Rin's and Mikoshiba's eyes widened. "Please excuse my brother! He and Watanabe-senpai have some history, and he tends to lose his temper around Watanabe-senpai. Please excuse his behavior!"

Mikoshiba looked at Gou, his lack of reaction eerie in contrast to his usual boisterousness. He finally broke the silence with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Gou-kun, but violence is a serious matter, particularly in an athletics club." Mikoshiba glanced at Rin, who looked away quietly. "I can't condone fighting. Unfortunately, your older brother will have to be punished."

Gou lifted her head slightly, her eyes low with a dolefulness that hurt Rin's heart. "I understand, Mikoshiba-kun. Can I have a moment to talk to my brother, at least?"

Mikoshiba's eyes softened. "Of course. I'll go back in to oversee the practice. When you're done talking, come back in. Matsuoka, I trust you'll take yourself to the principal's office after this?"

"Yes, sir," Rin grumbled, head bowed low. Mikoshiba nodded.

"Good. I'll be leaving, then." He turned around, but suddenly froze in place, sending a glance backwards. "And I'm sorry, Matsuoka."

He left Rin with his little sister standing in a barren corridor, a slowly setting sun bathing them in orange through the window. Gou sighed.

"What did Mikoshiba say? How are they going to punish you?"

Rin hated the sight of his little sister staring at him with worry. He looked down, scuffing the linoleum with his bare feet. They weren't wet, he realized. Rin hadn't even swam before he fucked things up, and now he was standing in a shady little corridor at the back of the pool building, half-naked as his sister was fretting over him. His fists clenched.

"Mikoshiba says I'm suspended from the team for a week. I won't be able to participate in the upcoming tournament."

Realization flashed in Gou's eyes, and she held her hands tightly. She opened her mouth, attempting to find words of conciliation, words that could comfort Rin, but she closed her mouth. It was like she knew no words could take away the muted feeling inside.

"I'm sorry," she finally said quietly. "I don't think I can understand it, but I'm really sorry."

Clench. Unclench. "Do you think they hate me now? Haru and the others."

Gou didn't reply instantaneously, taking a second to think through her answer. "I don't think they hate you, but I think they're pretty mad at you. I can't speak for them, but..."

Gou trailed off, biting her lip in hesitation. Rin waited for her, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"...but you should know that I love you. I'll love you unconditionally because you're my older brother. I'll love you no matter what wrong turn you take, because I know you and I think I couldn't ever hate you."

She paused, reconsidering. "Okay, maybe that's not true. I can find plenty of reasons to hate you, but I still love you in the end, even if I'm mad at you at the same time. You can count on me, Onii-chan."

Rin stayed silent, processing the words before flashing a weak smile at his sister. "That was cheesy. Did you rehearse?"

Gou hummed. "It crossed my mind once in a while. Especially when I was going out with Haru."

Something fierce whipped up a storm in Rin, and he felt his carefully composed face cracking. Gou didn't say anything, just stood quietly as Rin clenched and unclenched his hands, recalling how tightly they were fisted when they punched, how destructive they were when Rin put the intent to destroy in them. He trembled.

"Sorry, Gou," he heard himself saying. "I took advantage of your feelings for Haru. I used your break-up as an excuse to get close to him. I'm really sorry. I'm a horrible older brother."

Gou looked at him with an unreadable expression as Rin felt his nails dig deep into the flesh of his palm.

"I really liked him, Onii-chan," she said softly. "I can't just forgive you for using me. Not just that, but for hurting Haruka-senpai."

Rin winced. "I hope his nose is okay."

"I'm not talking about his nose."

Rin didn't reply, just let the topic drop because he really didn't want to talk about it. Gou sighed, smiling tinily.

"Don't tell me you forgot what I just told you. I'll be there for you no matter how many wrong turns you take. This one included."

Gou's eyes lidded, her expression heavy with something that weighed a thousand tons. "But you shouldn't apologize to me. Apologize to Haru. Though it might be too late for that."

The last words echoed in Rin's head, and he looked up warily, borderline alarmed. "What do you mean?"

Gou took in a shaky breath, closing her eyes as if it physically pained her. All of a sudden, an inkling suspicion dribbled through the contours of Rin's brain as he took the images and events and pieced them together. He felt suddenly horrified, dreading what Gou would say and hoping more than anything that it wasn't what he thought it was. The pillars supporting the world were shaky, and Gou's words would either be the final blow or the mending plaster.

Gou exhaled. "I think Haruka-senpai is dating Watanabe-senpai."

Just like that, the world crashed down on Rin.

* * *

A/N: RIN BBY U REALIZE UR FEELS YET?

I've taken the part out about Gou calling someone on the phone because I realized that's going nowhere. Just to let the readers know. Also, I apologize for typos in the previous chapters because I've switched to writing the chapters on my phone. It's much more accessible and I can get these chapters out faster. I'll try to fix them soon.

Just so everyone knows, I predict this story have about ten more chapters in it. The story spans a period of five weeks, and almost four have passed. Of course, I can expand this story if everyone wants me to, or if I feel it's necessary, but keep in mind there's also school in the way. :/ That aside, I've planned another Free! story, so that might come out after this one is completed.

Thanking the reviewers: CapturedByNoodles (what a horrible fate), Victorious-Mind, Bloom Flower, Elvent, Mplunkett, PinkSugarDust, Guest, iMakeMistakes, Freyco, Ni-chan9, FallenAngel1129, Syn'ph, pennamesareforfancypeople, curosityisn'tcurious, Nami1415, HappyDrageneel. Your reviews, your reviews, your reviews are my drug. Yeah. Horrible imitation there.

Anyways, see y'all next time.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Warning! Cursing! Wait, is there cursing in this chapter? I don't think so, actually. WHAT A MIRACLE.

* * *

Haruka should have expected it when Nagisa appeared at his door a few minutes shy of midnight. He really should have.

"You told everyone?"

Nagisa flinched back, head bowed. "I'm really sorry, Haru-chan! I just - I had to! Rin isn't Rin anymore. I can't keep it a secret forever, especially now since he's hurting you!"

There was a pressure bubbling in his rib cage, threatening to burst out of his body. Haruka said nothing, just let the words die on his tongue and the fire smolder hotter and hotter.

"You promised," he finally said. Nagisa's shoulders shrunk forward.

"I know. I'm so sorry."

There was so much to express, yet so little to say. Haruka just pursed his lips together tightly, so tightly that all the color was drained away.

"Leave," he said flatly. Nagisa seemed to shrink back even more.

"Haru-chan, I'm really sorry-"

"Leave," Haruka repeated.

Nagisa was quiet. Then he turned around and left.

Haruka spent the night in the bathtub, getting out only when the water grew cold. That night, he fell asleep beside the bathtub, unable to tear himself away from his solace for a single moment.

* * *

"Good morning, Haru."

The familiar warm voice lifted Haruka from his thoughts, and he glanced at Makoto waving slightly at the bottom of the stairs. As the brunet made his way up, Haruka heaved himself from his sitting position, dusting his school bag and his uniform half-heartedly.

"Sorry to make you wait," Makoto said once he reached Haruka. They began walking. "You didn't wait long, did you?"

Haruka shook his head quietly, looking away. Makoto seemed to get the message and turned away as well.

They walked in silence as they usually did, but it wasn't the routine comfortable silence. It was the silence of Makoto having too much to say, and Haruka having nothing. After ten minutes, Makoto still hadn't spoken up despite the words that were obviously struggling to get out. Haruka clenched his fists.

"We're here," Makoto finally said when the school gates were looming close. Haruka scowled, and Makoto smiled lightly. "You're wondering if it was necessary for me to say that, aren't you?"

Haruka almost scoffed. His nails dug into his palms angrily as he wondered why Makoto didn't say anything despite knowing exactly what was on Haruka's mind.

As usual, Makoto and Haruka entered the classroom five minutes before the bell. Daichi's posse was gathered near the door, and they looked up indifferently upon their entrance, all save for the bully himself.

"H-hey, Haru!" Daichi exclaimed when he saw Haruka's face, hesitance flickering through his face. Haruka ignored the expression, simply nodding coolly at Daichi and sitting at his seat. Makoto followed suit quietly.

"Is your nose okay, dude?" Daichi asked, breaking away from his group and sitting on an adjacent desk. Haruka nodded.

"I just need to ice it and take painkillers," he said quietly. Daichi laughed, reaching a hand up to awkwardly scratch his hair.

"That's great, man. Nothing big or anything, right?"

"No," Haruka agreed. "It's not like I was sexually and physically harassed."

Daichi seemed to be at a complete loss, but he laughed again, his guffaw fake and laden with hesitance. "You're hilarious, man."

Haruka smiled humorlessly. "I try."

Instead of leaving Haruka and returning to his group as he usually did, Daichi remained sat on the adjacent desk, his expression contorted with discomfort as he tried to start a conversation. Haruka ignored his attempts, feeling the smoldering fire from the previous day reignite. Still, Daichi did not attempt to move, just going to the desk diagonally adjacent to Haruka's when his previous one was taken.

Haruka felt his finger twitch. First Makoto, and now Daichi. He hated the feeling of being pitied.

"Nice weather, huh?" Daichi spoke up finally. Haruka just nodded noncommittally and moved to unpack his school supplies. A pencil went flying in the air as Haruka swept his arm across the desk, landing neatly on the floor between Daichi's feet. The bully's eyes lit up, the eager gleam like a that of a cat finding a mouse.

"Hey, dude, let me get that for you!" Daichi lunged at the stray pencil, grasping it tightly and looking back up at Haruka with an expression akin to an overeager puppy's, complete with the phantom tail wagging ferociously. It was ridiculous how desperate Daichi was for an opportunity to talk, so much that it almost made Haruka laugh out loud. Something soft abated the burning inside of him, if only just a little.

"Thanks." Just a word of thanks seemed like giving puppy-Daichi his favorite dog treat. His stellar grin widened impossibly, and Haruka found himself smirking lightly in response. It was like a contagious disease. An obnoxious, loud-mouthed, feel-good, contagious disease, but it seemed more and more like a medicine to Haruka the longer he looked at Daichi's expression.

Haruka broke his gaze away from Daichi's grin and back onto the pencil, moving to take it in his hands. His finger brushing lightly against Daichi's thumb, and Daichi suddenly jerked back, dropping the pencil. It fell in silence, landing once, twice, as Daichi's eyes widened and he realized what just happened.

Haruka felt his heart grow ice cold.

"S-sorry, man. Just twitched." Daichi laughed nervously, snatching the pencil from the floor and almost shoving it into Haruka's hand. Daichi glued his gaze stubbornly to Haruka's despite the slight twitches that gave away how much he wanted to look away. A feeble attempt to hide the lie and return to normalcy. The ice coating Haruka's heart was suddenly thawed by a raging fire.

Haruka's eyes lowered.

"If it bothers you that much," he began lowly, coldly, "stop pretending that everything's normal."

His hand grasped painfully right around the pencil. Daichi's eyes were wide, and from the corner of his eye Haruka saw Makoto frown. He continued, feeling the volcanic pressure of a couple weeks' worth of emotion and secrets bubble over.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear it. Don't go and pretend everything's normal while you passively-aggressively try to pity me. I don't need your pity. If you have something to say, then say it to my-"

"Good morning, everyone!" Ama-sensei suddenly burst into the room, stumbling over a stray school bag left out by one of Daichi's friends. She crab-walked to the teacher's desk, one hand laden with papers and the other with tea. The bell promptly rang.

"I'm just in time, aren't I?" Ama-sensei laughed. Her eyes landed on a wide-eyed Daichi and a dark-faced Haruka, undoubtedly misinterpreting the situation. "Watanabe-kun, leave Nanase-kun alone and go to your assigned seat! You're blocking the way!"

Daichi slunk away with uncharacteristic obedience, leaving Haruka seething at his desk. Haruka didn't register the collective flipping of textbook pages that marked the beginning of the lesson, instead struggling with relaxing his face muscles that pulled back into a snarl. A cursory glance to the side caught Makoto red-handed in the act of sneaking a look at Haruka, and the brunet looked away almost shamefully.

Haruka felt his mood plummet dangerously. His hand fisted ferociously around the pencil, so much that its shape burnt a deep red into his palm.

Damn it all, he thought. _Especially _his so-called friends.

* * *

"Wednesday practice!" Ama-sensei sighed dramatically as they entered the pool area. She threw herself daintily onto her shaded throne, crossing her legs and watching attentively as the Iwatobi swim club members threw down their bags against the wall. She frowned as her eyes skimmed over the members hunched backs.

"Is there something wrong? Everyone seems down."

Nagisa chuckled weakly as he rummaged through his bag. "You're imagining things Ama-chan."

No one bothered to support or refute Nagisa's claim, instead listlessly pulling out supplies from their respective sports bags. Ama-sensei hummed thoughtfully.

"Remember, everyone! As Thomas Carlyle once said, there are good and bad times, but our mood changes more often than our fortune. Kou-chan, come here! We can't let this gloom bring down our ladylike optimism!"

Kou-san stationed herself obediently next to Ama-sensei, but not before taking a glance at Haruka on her way there. Haruka caught the look, choosing to pretend it never happened because thinking about it would inevitably lead to the fall of his already abyssal mood. Daichi stood to the side, absently tracing patterns with his feet as Haruka tore off his clothes.

"Daichi," Haruka called calmly once he was free of everything but his trunks. The bully startled, whipping his head up to look at Haruka with a deer-in-headlights expression. "You should swim today."

"Oh. Oh! Right, but..."

Daichi trailed off. Haruka sighed.

"We can teach you." Haruka tossed him a black sports bag, glossy with newness. "Here's the stuff we bought on Monday."

Daichi caught the bag with a fumble, his eyes passing back and forth between staring at the bag and staring and Haruka. "But - well - you're not mad at me?"

"I am," Haruka said coldly. Daichi flinched slightly before laughing out loud, a more genuine laugh this time. Haruka never understood it, but others always seemed to find his frankness amusing.

"Well, where do I change?" he asked, glancing at the building that was currently occupied by the other members of the swim club. "I'm not gonna strip in front of you, am I? You like my bod that much, dude?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Haruka returned bluntly. After admiring Rin's body, there was no way that scrawny Daichi could ever-

_No. _No. Stop thinking about Rin.

He repeated the sentence mentally like a mantra while he motioned towards the building when Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa emerged. Daichi brushed passed them and through the door, garnering questioning glances from the trio, but the inhospitable silence from Haruka warded them away. They gathered silently by the edge of the pool as Kou-san coughed and pulled out a clip board.

"Alright, team!" she whooped. "Practice as usual, but Daichi's going to try swimming. He's changing right now, apparently. We'll give him fifteen minutes before practice to learn how to swim. Capisce?"

The responding _yes_ was muttered lowly and with no enthusiasm. Kou-san just sighed and let the clip board dangle by her side, seemingly giving up on elevating the mood. She murmured something about attending to Ama-sensei's needs, walking away to the far side where the shaded throne sat and leaving the four boys alone.

For a second, the atmosphere was unbearably heavy. Nagisa seemed to register the lack of normality urgently, suddenly bursting out into a loud cheer.

"The weather's great today, right, Rei-chan?" Nagisa prodded the blue-haired boy beside him, who scowled.

"I suppose," he grumbled. "The temperature is ideal for swimming."

"It's not everyday that we get a new member to club," Nagisa commented, stretching his arms ahead of him. "It's kind of refreshing."

"I was a new member not so long ago," Rei returned, scowling again. Makoto smiled at him lightly.

"You've been a member for almost two months, now. I don't think you count as a new member anymore."

"Don't worry, Rei-chan!" Nagisa exclaimed, pulling the other's head down to fluff his hair, to which Rei protested against adamantly. "You'll always be number one in my heart no matter how old or new you are!"

"That's not the issue at hand!"

The three of them burst out into quiet chuckles, which Haruka ignored. He moved away from the huddle slightly, sitting down at the pools edge and immersing his feet in the water. Makoto looked backwards, meeting his gaze.

"What do you think, Haru?" Makoto asked warmly. His question quieted Nagisa and Rei, who likewise turned to look at him. "What do you think about Daichi learning how to swim?"

Haruka's gaze was cold, and the warmth faded away from Makoto, Nagisa's, and Rei's eyes. When Nagisa looked away, shoulders sagging, Haruka returned his gaze to the water and shrugged noncommittally. The heavy awkwardness was back again.

"I'm really sorry, Haru-chan," Nagisa suddenly spoke up. Haruka gritted his teeth.

"Stop. I don't want to hear it."

Rei's expression turned urgent. "Haruka-senpai, please understand that we'd never judge you for something that wasn't your fault."

"Shut up, Rei," he snapped, feeling not the slightest ounce of regret when the freshman winced with hurt. "You're not part of this. Don't talk like you understand."

"Haru, you're stepping out of line," Makoto interjected. Haruka lifted an arm to cover his face, trying to hide the furious expression that was threatening to come out.

"Shut up. Just shut up. I'm just fine. If you really care, then stop pretending that nothing happened. Just leave me alone."

Silence blanketed over the group once again as they no longer knew what to say. Haruka buried his face deeply into his hands.

"What Rin did is unforgivable," Makoto said quietly. "It's not your fault."

Haruka said nothing.

"We're your friends, Haru-chan." Nagisa's expression was sad. "We want to help you."

"We won't let Matsuoka-san bother you ever again, Haruka-senpai," Rei said severely. "There's much we can do. We can tell Mikoshiba, or file a restraining order, or tell an official-"

"No!" Haruka burst, startling everyone, even the crows chirping in the background, into silence. "Don't tell anyone. I won't forgive you."

Rei took a step back quietly. "Alright. We won't tell anyone."

"You already did."

Nagisa shrunk back even more, his already-diminutive frame made almost nonexistent as he shrugged his shoulders forward.

"I'm sorry," the blond said in a small voice. "I promise I won't tell anyone ever again."

"Haru, _please_." Makoto pleaded. "You're not the only one who's hurting. We're hurting for you, too."

"I'm afraid I'm overstepping my boundaries since I haven't known you for very long," Rei muttered, "but what Makoto said is true. We care about you, Haruka-senpai."

Haruka said nothing, just hoped his hands were hiding his face sufficiently as he felt his resolve crumbling and the overwhelming urge to just abandon whatever petty hatred he was harboring. Just as he opened his mouth, Daichi suddenly burst out of the building, clad in trunks that opened baggily at his knees and emphasized his skinny build. He glanced back and forth between Kou-san and the solemn huddle by Haruka.

"So, what did I miss?"

Kou-san walked up to him calmly, and Daichi almost shrunk with every footstep she approached. "The four of them are going to teach you how to swim for fifteen minutes. If you want to keep swimming after that, fine. If you don't, dry yourself. You hear?"

Daichi nodded mutely, timidly stepping his way to where Haruka and his friends were waiting with somber expressions. The conversation broke, although the heavy atmosphere remained, and they promptly began the fifteen minutes of teaching Daichi how to swim. It was a complete disaster, and Daichi was sentenced to sitting at the edge of the pool while the swimmers ran their practice routine, Haruka trying desperately to drown himself away from his worldly concerns. The practice ended much too quickly.

At the end of the practice, when the sun was bathing the area a palette of reds and oranges, Daichi approached Haruka with his head bowed and hands crossed timidly. Haruka raised an eyebrow at the humble appearance.

"Sorry for this morning, dude," he muttered quietly, reaching to scratch the back of his head. "I didn't mean to pity you or act different around you or anything. I mean, no offense, but hearing about what he did to you is kind of hard to digest. I mean - I never thought Rin-san would actually..."

Daichi trailed off unable to continue. He didn't need to. Haruka just closed his eyes, letting the emotions and memories run through him. Rin visiting Haruka's house. Rin kissing Haruka. Haruka kissing Rin. Rin misunderstanding it completely and thinking it was pity. Nagisa apologizing. Makoto talking soothingly. Rei caring, even thought he had nothing to do with it. Haruka shuddered at the flood of feelings inside of him.

"It's all right," he said finally, his eyes still closed lest he saw Daichi's expression. "It was my fault for reacting that way."

It was silent. Haruka opened his eyes slowly, unable to take the tension any longer. Daichi just kept scratching the back of his head.

"We're cool, dude?"

Haruka sighed lightly.

"Yeah. We're cool."

In an act of daring and emotion, Haruka pulled Daichi's stick-like body close for a hug, not saying anything, not thinking about anything. Daichi stayed still for the first few moments, but Haruka could slowly feel his arms reach to his back, patting him awkwardly. He was probably making Daichi uncomfortable, Haruka realized, but he didn't care anymore.

"Don't worry about Rin, dude," Daichi muttered past Haruka's ear. "We won't let him get near you."

Haruka smiled a genuine smile.

When they broke away, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei were attempting poorly to appear nonchalant while Ama-sensei was just looking at them with the hilariously perturbed expression of realization. Daichi was blushing from neck up, muttering something incoherent, but Haruka didn't register the noises, hearing a quiet whisper from Kou-san. It was like the wind, soft, toneless, and definitely not meant for anyone's ears.

"What will you do, Onii-chan?" she whispered.

* * *

"Matsuoka-senpai, are you really okay?"

Rin could barely hear his roommate through the pillow that covered his face and the top bunk that Nitori sat on. He didn't respond, feeling so unenthusiastic and dead about everything in the world and knowing that Nitori lacked the courage to nose into his business any further.

It was silent for a few moments.

"You don't have to worry about the swim team, senpai," Nitori continued, his voice muffled as Rin pressed the pillow tightly over his ears. "All of us are working really hard to fill in for you. Actually, three of us beat our personal records today! At this rate, I think we might be able to sweep the competition and-"

"Nitori," Rin said, too exhausted to put any force behind his tone. Nonetheless, Nitori fell dead silent. "Please stop talking."

It was quiet. Rin could hear the wind whistling through the trees outside. Nitori finally made a small noise, so soft that the wind almost drowned it out.

"Okay. Sorry, senpai."

He couldn't hear anything from the top bunk anymore, save for the quiet rustles of homework being completed. The silence felt like a thousand tons digging sharply into every square inch of his body, crushing him and breaking his bones. He exhaled deeply at that thought, almost releasing the dry, wheezy laugh that pounded itself against Rin's throat. His chest constricted.

Insane. He was going insane. It was an entire day locked in his prison of a dorm, suspended from school, swimming, anything that would occupy his mind and ward off the madness biting at the edges of his consciousness. That was the only way to explain the jagged feeling, the sensation that felt almost as if some sort of beast was digging its maw into Rin's brain, dripping poisonous saliva down every crease of his thoughts. The only thing that remained clear was the image of dark hair and glaring blue eyes. Then the image of that lanky, wild-haired bully that tormented his sister's childhood.

His throat convulsed, almost as if trying to force out a sob. Rin buried his face deeper into the pillow.

He was an idiot. Such an idiot.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, Rin. You're such an idiot.

SOooo another development right now. I dunno. At this point, I feel like I should be resolving things, but there's one last stretch to go. Hopefully, it'll build up to a really climatic ending. Pfft, like that's happening.

For some reason, this chapter was pretty long despite nothing really happening. It's like my innate talent that makes me pass my English class: writing words and words and words without them actually meaning anything. xD As you can see, I am a _boss _in English. But you know what's a miracle (other than the lack of curses in this chapter)? Rin went through a whole chapter without being angry! The apocalypse is nigh!

As always, thanks to the reviewers: imperativa, Animecherryblossem33, Arelinna, Bloom Flower, iMakeMistakes, Elvent, the-l0llip0p, Mplunkett, Unforgettable Unicornopolis, curosityisn'tcurious, HappyDrageneel, PinkSugarDust, FallenAngel1129, Ko-Sensei, Hey Those Beats, pennamesareforfancypeople, Victorious-Mind, Nami1415, Freyco, SeaWeedHead, Ldrmas, Say-It. Even though I regularly thank the reviewers, I think I've done a poor job in thanking the readers in general. I will amend this right now. Thank you, every single one of you who reads/read/have read this little story of mine! I've never expected this fic to do so well. It's great encouragement, especially when I've resolved to become more active with my hobbies and passions. I less-than-three you all (because the less sign won't show up on FF D:).

(And also I'm sorry about this chapter it was a behemoth and I didn't get a chance to proofread it before I submitted it. I'll look over it later today. Sorry!)


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Some minor cursing. Looong chapter this time.

* * *

On Thursday, Rin was allowed to attend school again, though he was still barred from the swim team.

It was an improvement, at least. Actually, it was the best case scenario since he would both occupy his mind with something and avoid Haru effortlessly this way. Usually, Rin would find the homework load ridiculous, especially after a missed school day, but now, Rin was eager to accept anything that could distract his mind from the pain. Too eager. He finished the homework much too early that afternoon.

When Rin set his pencil down on the desk, it was barely half past four in the afternoon. The joint practice with Samezuka had just begun. The eerie emptiness of the top bunk was a clear indication.

Rin craned his neck over the chair he sat on, taking in the image of the tidy, uninhabited bed, a clear contrast to the usual messiness when Nitori was about. There were no soft rustles from Nitori doing his homework on the bunk. There were no intrusive questions or naive compliments towards Rin's swimming. There were no discreet creaks as the old mattress shifted under Nitori's weight. It was disturbingly lonely being in his room during practice, like the strange sensation of hitting a funny bone, like the world wasn't quite right. He was so accustomed to meeting up with Nitori and heading straight to swim practice after classes were over. Every time, like a habit ingrained into his nature, Rin would feel his temper ignite even before reaching Haru, before seeing his infuriatingly flippant attitude, his dastardly dark hair, his detestably beautiful blue eyes, his slight curves and planes of muscle. Today was no exception.

The sick feeling that Rin struggled so desperately to fight away was suddenly back, flaring up with the intensity of a forest fire. Rin could only see the slender hand _that belonged to Rin and Rin only_ reach a shoulder that was _not Rin's_, touching it lightly, gently, lovingly, completely unlike how Rin touched it and how it touched Rin. Rin gritted his teeth, his head snapping back to face the desk painfully.

Wild blonde hair. Ugly eyes. Noodle-like build. Rin couldn't comprehend what Haru saw in Daichi. Rin was better than him in every way. Rin had balls. Grades. Abs. Prestige. How did he lose to _Daichi_, of all people?

He didn't regret punching Daichi, he realized. If given the chance, Rin would punch Daichi over and over again until that ugly mug disappeared from sight and never, ever got near Haru again. Until Haru stopped making those puppy-dog eyes at Daichi and looked at Rin instead. If only. Haru would probably hate him even more than he already did if Rin beat up his dear little boyfriend.

Rin felt his body constrict in a wave, almost as if caused by a sob. He dug his fingers deep into his scalp, ignoring the pain that spiked up.

He missed Haru. He missed Haru so much. Not just as a sex friend. Not just as a rival. Not just as a friend. There was no way Rin would be feeling so tormented over a mere friend. Rin's body shook again, this time because of a real sob.

Rin loved Haru.

Rin loved him almost as much as he loved swimming. No, Rin loved Haru _more _than swimming, although Haru's already low opinion would plummet if he found that out. Haru was cruel like that, playing the obtuse and passive victim while all the blame was heaved onto Rin, who actually had convictions. Goals. Rin wasn't like Haru, who cared for nothing but water and his little world of swimming buddies that Rin was no longer part of. Rin wasn't like Haru, who never did anything and consequentially never made mistakes. Rin couldn't just toss everything aside and move on without closure. Rin was still passionately, furiously, fervently in love with Haru.

But Haru loved Daichi.

Haru loved Daichi because Rin messed up. Because Rin was a tool, and because Rin couldn't realize his feelings in time. Haru loved Daichi because, unlike Rin, Daichi beat him to the punch. Rin was too slow in catching that elusive dolphin boy, and now he had to watch the consequences.

His grip tightened dangerously, but the burning at his scalp was nothing compared to the burning inside. His thoughts began drifting in a dangerous direction, a direction marked by violence and pain, and the remaining logical part of his brain snapped him out of his thoughts harshly. Rin shot up from his seat, his body seemingly overwhelmed with the urge to move.

Rin needed to get out. He couldn't take another second cooped up in his prison of a dorm. He emitted a cross between a choke and a cough - the one sob that escaped his walls - before wiping his eyes roughly and biting his lip harshly.

Rin walked out of the room without a second thought, unable to care about the punishments of leaving the campus without permission. As he stalked out of the residential building, Rin focused all of his energy into not thinking about Haru, about how he was at the pool building, about how he was probably having the time of his life flirting with his boyfriend.

Needless to say, he failed. He replayed images of the two kissing, cuddling, having sex, and doing everything Rin did with - no, _forced _on Haru. Rin gritted his teeth.

He lost Haru. He fucked up, and he lost Haru.

* * *

For the next two days, Rin was noticeably absent from Haruka's life, and Haruka didn't fail to notice the consequential improvement in the quality of his life. He wasn't completely free of annoyances, though.

Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa were insistent on forming a protective circle around Haruka for the Thursday joint practice, determined to block Rin from approaching Haruka. It irritated Haruka greatly, but Haruka knew better than anyone how stubborn his friends were when they set their minds on something. Daichi, being completely unintimidating and already beaten by Rin, mostly stood away from the huddle, making small talk with Haruka and conspicuously trying to avoid Kou-san. An unneeded action in Haruka's eyes, because Kou-san stared off into space throughout the entire practice.

His friends' protective efforts were for naught, however, as Rin did not even appear during practice. When Nagisa later questioned the Nitori boy, they learned that Rin was suspended from the team and barred from participating in the upcoming tournament. It was a probably horrible development for the redhead who worked so hard in swimming, but it made Haruka ecstatic.

Needless to say, Haruka wasn't very sympathetic to Rin's plight.

Daichi did not swim in the joint practice, the club deciding to give him more practice before they threw him into public humiliation. Rei had protested adamantly against the decision, citing his own botched joint practice and claiming that it was a tradition to be publicly shamed when joining the swim club. Kou-san retorted with a comment about how Daichi would humiliate himself either way, so undergoing such a ceremony would be completely unnecessary. Everyone, even Rei, agreed with her argument wholeheartedly, save for Daichi who tried to repair his pride. Nonetheless, the entire club agreed that an additional practice was needed for Daichi if they ever hoped to bring him up to par.

Thursday ended with an eerie calm meant one of two things: first, that the storm had passed and all was fine, or second, that Haruka was simply in the eye of a hurricane. Haruka prayed that it was the former.

Friday passed just as calmly, thankfully without incident save for some erratic, excited behavior on Nagisa's part that suggested the blond was planning something. Haruka went to bed that night eager for a weekend without any stress from his friends or Rin.

* * *

On Saturday, Haruka woke up to a pleasant surprise.

"Haru-chan, we're going to the beach!"

The obnoxiously loud voice roared like a tornado, startling him into an upright position. When Haruka's furiously-beating heart settled, he realized that it was just Nagisa screaming at him from outside the window. He stalked to the window furiously, flinging it open to glare at the blond, just for his eyes to widen in surprise.

"Good morning, Haru."

"Rise and shine, Haruka-senpai!"

"Haruka-senpai, you should make haste. We're not going to beat the crowd at this rate."

"Yeah, dude! Get your ass over here!"

Haruka rubbed his eyes, unable to take in the sight of Nagisa, Kou-san, Rei, Daichi, and Makoto gathered before his house, each touting bags and towels clearly meant for an excursion at the beach. He glanced at his alarm clock.

"It's eight in the morning." Haruka glared accusingly at the huddle. "And it's a Saturday."

Nagisa laughed. "Come on! We promised to go to the beach or a deserted island to make up for Tuesday! We couldn't really afford a deserted island, so we'll just have to settle for the beach!"

"We can also work on Daichi-senpai's swimming," Rei included. Makoto smiled a knowing smile.

"Come on, Haru. Imagine it. An entire ocean all to ourselves. It's like ten pools in one place."

Haruka scowled.

"If we don't leave now, the beach is going to be packed. It would be a shame since we might also miss out on the tickets to the hot spring resort that Nagisa managed to snatch from Coach Sasabe."

"That's enough, Makoto," Haruka said lowly, ignoring the look of triumph on the brunet's face. He closed the window and stumbled into his closet, pulling out all twenty pairs of the black-purple trunks he owned. A few painful minutes later, Haruka emerged from his house with a modest bag and, of course, his meticulously chosen trunks underneath his clothes.

"I'm happy you came around, Haru," Makoto said, an amused twinkle in his eye. Haruka turned away stubbornly. They began walking slowly, Nagisa and Rei leading the group with their intense debate about the definition of beauty, Kou-san following after to keep an eye on the two, Makoto and Daichi next in line, and Haruka lagging behind, trying not to register the loquacious chatter and the irony of the situation. Makoto fell a step backwards to align himself with Haruka.

"You're thinking about how you wanted to avoid us but ended up going to the beach with us, aren't you?"

Haruka didn't even bother to react this time, already accustomed to that damn Makoto's telepathic powers. Makoto seemed to catch that thought as well, chuckling lightly.

"I'm glad you're in a better mood, Haru," he said softly. Haruka turned away, hoping to end the topic and the welling emotions right there.

The six of them arrived at the beach within ten minutes. Nagisa announced their presence by instantly charging for the water, throwing his bags and towels haphazardly on the ground and garnering disapproving looks from the light crowd at the beach. Makoto gathered the abandoned supplies with a sigh as Nagisa belly-flopped into the shallow water, setting them with the rest of their bags.

"Nagisa, you're forgetting why we came here," he called out as Kou-san and Rei straightened the folding chairs and propped the umbrellas. Daichi just orbited around the area timidly, clearly unsure of what to do.

"We came here to have fun!" Nagisa shouted in reply a few seconds later. He splashed in the water eagerly, a playful sight that was lonely and pitiful when the blond was the only one in the water and his companions were staring at him blankly.

"That's not the official reason!" Makoto yelled. "We came here to help Daichi-san improve his swimming! Until that happens, no fooling around."

Even from a few yards away, Haruka could clearly see the pout etched on Nagisa's face. "But Mako-chan!"

"No buts! We're not going to play until - Haru, not you too!"

Makoto's comically betrayed tone was cut off by salty water rushing in Haruka's ears when he dipped his head underwater. He relished the muted sound of the ocean ringing through his ears, ignoring Nagisa's limbs as the blond swam to Haruka. When he reemerged slowly, Haruka first saw Nagisa's eager grin, then the astounded expression on Daichi's face as he glanced between Haruka and the clothes lying on the sand.

"See, Haru-chan wants to swim too!" Nagisa jeered, throwing an arm around Haruka's shoulders. "Come on! You wouldn't hurt Haru-chan's feelings, would you?"

Makoto groaned. "I guess a little fun before practice wouldn't hurt."

There was an instantaneous cheer as Rei stripped and ran into the water with the speed of a former track athlete. Makoto followed suit slowly, a grin beginning to break through his peeved expression. Only Kou-san and Daichi held back, the former lounging calmly on one of the folding chairs and the latter halting right before the break between water and sand.

Haruka swam freely, ignoring the rambunctious splashes of Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei tossing a beach ball, but one eye was always peeled towards the land, towards the uncharacteristically vulnerable expression on Daichi's face as he paced back and forth between the water line. Kou-san began eyeing the bully with amusement as well, causing him to break into a frenzy of jittery nerves that gave Haruka a headache just by seeing it.

After a few minutes, Haruka sighed, realigning his dolphin kick to push him towards land. The pitiful sight was just too much.

When Haruka broke the surface a few yards away from Daichi, the blond launched a good Nagisa-and-a-half off of the sand. He eyed Haruka with a hunted expression that was so ridiculous it succeeded in extracting a laugh out of Haruka's silence. Daichi looked insulted.

"Shut up, dude! I already told you that I'm shit at swimming!" Daichi was blushing a deep tomato red that only made Haruka's smirk widen.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about." Daichi flushed deeply. "We came here to teach you how to swim."

Daichi crossed his arms, turning to the side. "Promise you won't laugh."

"I can't promise that."

"Seriously, Haru!"

"Alright," Haruka finally acquiesced. "I promise."

Haruka's fingers were crossed behind his back as nodded solemnly. Then he grabbed Daichi by the shoulders and steered him towards the ocean insistently. Daichi dug his heels into the sand.

"H-hey, dude! I-I can walk by myself!" Daichi chittered. Haruka eased his pushing, letting his hands rest gently on Daichi's shoulders as the bully tentatively dipped a toe into the incoming wave. When a kraken didn't appear from the centimeter-deep water and drag Daichi into the depths of hell, he took another step forward. And another. And another. Haruka let Daichi lead the way, making sure his hands touched the bully's shoulders in what he hoped was a soothing manner.

When they were thigh-deep in water, Daichi halted, quivering.

"Hey, water freak," he grumbled. "You'll save me if I drown, right?"

Haruka squeezed Daichi's shoulders reassuringly, turning away so the blond wouldn't see the smirk on his face. "Of course. What do you think I did when Rei first tried to swim?"

First, Haruka attempted to teach Daichi how to float, a feat that took a good thirty minutes of blubbering, melodramatic arm flailing, and holding onto Haruka in a choke-hold despite the stomach-deep water. By the time Haruka was comfortable with teaching Daichi how to actually swim, Haruka found his normally steadfast patience shot to the ground. Despite that, Haruka felt a strange bubbling sensation at his chest each time Daichi proclaimed that he was going to die and clung to Haruka's stomach chest like a koala, not even bothering with the gay jokes anymore.

Was he having fun? Haruka stopped to think for a second.

Yes. He was having fun. He was having fun without thinking about Rin.

The thought lifted his spirits up. When Haruka finally gave up on Daichi, deeming the boy innately unsuited to water, the sun was beaming down on them greatly. Time passed like a blur as Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa attempted to teach Daichi how to swim before giving up in a quarter of the time Haruka did, as they played a short game of beach volleyball - Kou-san and Daichi were surprisingly skilled in this field - and as Haruka and Daichi left to buy food.

When the two returned to the beach, the population had swelled considerably. Their territory shrunk as a result, the chairs, the umbrella, and the bags moving closer together than they were before. Haruka didn't mind. Haruka actually liked the development because he was physically closer to his friends. To his insufferable, nosy, obnoxious, caring, supportive, loyal friends. Lunch was eaten with a cheery hubbub.

When the food was finished, Haruka's thirst for swimming was satisfied completely. He sat in one of the folding chairs as Kou-san ventured into the water, taking the moment to relax under the umbrella's shade and the pleasant ocean breeze. A coldness at his cheek suddenly startled him out of his reverie.

"Chill out, dude. Just some soda."

Haruka shot a halfhearted glare at Daichi, who grinned cheekily as he sat down beside Haruka. Haruka took the can in silence, popping it open with a flourish and adjusting himself slightly to accommodate Daichi's proximity. Already, Haruka felt warmth from the other's presence.

"Having fun, dude?" Daichi lifted his can with a smirk. Haruka replied with a noncommittal grunt and clinked his can lightly against Daichi's. They sat in silence for a few moments, sipping the soda and relaxing.

Soon, Haruka spotted Daichi's hands tightening around his can, an action that Haruka learned was a sign of internal conflict. It reminded him of when he played hooky at Daichi's house, and Haruka made sure to appear open to conversation as he waited for the other.

"Hey."

Haruka looked up calmly. Daichi did not meet his gaze, instead staring at the can in his hands.

"Don't laugh at what I say, 'kay? Like, for real."

Haruka nodded solemnly. Daichi settled into a small quiet as he thought over his words.

"You're a great bro, you know that?" Daichi began quietly. "I didn't like you at first for dumbass reasons. Then I realized that we're actually pretty alike despite, you know, everything."

From the corner of his eye, Haruka watched Daichi's toe trace patterns in the sand.

"And you're actually a nice guy behind that freaky obsession for water you have." Cue halfhearted glare and cheeky grin, almost like a routine. "I mean, even though I was a dickhead to you, you look like you forgave me. That's pretty rare. There're lots of people who don't forgive me for the stupid shit I did when I was younger."

Haruka's hands tightened around his own can. "You mean Kou-san and Rin."

Daichi winced. "Yeah. Gou, not so much anymore, but Rin - well, you know how he is."

Haruka stared blankly at the shaded sand before him. "I know."

Daichi paused for a second, his fingers clenching almost painfully around the soda can. "Why am I even talking about the shit Rin did to me? That's nothing compared to what he did to you. I mean, beating me up is one thing, but for Rin to - to do - It's fucking whack! It's insane! He's insane! He's fucking insane!"

Haruka felt the words die on his tongue when Daichi whipped around to stare at him with such an intense, urgent expression.

"I swear, bro. I swear that I won't let that asshole near you. Ten-fucking-mile radius, Haru. If he tries to pull that shit on you again, I'll fucking wail him. Don't laugh, Haru. I'm serious. I don't care if I'm a hundred pounds lighter than him, I'll beat him to a pulp, 'cos you didn't you anything, I didn't do anything, and Rin just needs to let it all go."

Haruka stared at Daichi in silence, watching as the fervent expression faded away and he turned so Haruka could only see his back. Haruka could still see the redness at the tip of the bully's ears.

"Thank you."

Daichi jerked. "What?"

"Thank you Daichi," Haruka repeated softly. "It means a lot."

Daichi slowly turned around, his head bowed and unable to meet Haruka's eyes.

"That's what I'm here for, bro."

Haruka smiled softly and set a hand gently on the bully's shoulder, stroking circles into his skin soothingly. Daichi's fists clenched on his lap.

"That shit aside, that wasn't what I was trying to say. I wanted to say that, well, that I was inspired by you to do something, I guess."

Haruka's hand trailed down from the shoulder, stopping to massage Daichi's middle upper arm. "What is it?"

Daichi shifted awkwardly, almost leaning into Haruka's soft strokes. His head was bathed a vibrant red, the deep hue like acrylic on canvas as it painted his face, neck, and ears.

"I - I'm going to confess to the person I like."

Haruka's other hand grabbed Daichi's without a second thought.

This was it, Haruka thought. This was the moment that he could move on with his life.

There were so many ways a kiss could go wrong. Haruka could miss. The crowd could give them strange looks. Daichi could freak out. But Haruka wasn't able to comprehend any of the cons as just two thoughts flew through his head like a group of frenzied dogs. Daichi liked Haruka. That much was obvious. And Haruka liked Daichi back.

His eyes trailed from Daichi's wide eyes to his half-open mouth, dipping down to his jutting collar bones and back up to land at his lips. Haruka leaned forward, washed with more determination than he'd ever felt before.

The shade they rested in suddenly convulsed and disappeared as the umbrella fell onto the sand with a crack, its supports mangled from the force of whatever pushed it. The beach's crowd continued as usual, with children crying and adults chatting and water splashing, as if nothing was wrong with the world. But Haruka could see the shadow of the figure behind him, hear the ragged breaths from the figure, feel the tell-tale tensing in Daichi's hand as the bully turned around to look at the mysterious person.

Haruka turned around calmly, his hands still clutching Daichi's and stroking Daichi's arm. He assessed the horrible mess before him, taking in the unkempt hair, the deep bags, and the ugly contortion of the person's face.

"Rin," he greeted lowly.

Rin didn't reply instantly, unable to catch his breath. The redhead's features pinched with fury.

"Haru," he growled. "What are you doing?"

* * *

A/N: I AM SO MAD. FAN FICTION LOGGED ME OUT JUST AS I FINISHED THIS AND WAS SAVING IT AND I WAS ABOUT TO GO TO SLEEP BECAUSE DAMN I NEED MY SLEEP AND I LOST MY WORK AND I JUST ASDRG;FAFSDJKLASDFJKL;ASDF;JL.

Ahem. Angry rant aside, another long chapter this time. The longest, actually. It broke 4,000 words. I wonder why the busier I get, the more I write. I am on a roll, dudes/dudettes/whatever proper feminine form of that word!

Ugh. I had some difficulty with this chapter because of the cheesiness. I mean, seriously, a trip to the beach and then to the hot springs? Cliché shoujo manga much? Whatever. #SOCKS #espanyolo

Anyways, thanks to the reviewers: imperativa, aimlessNovelist, Elvent, Hey Those Beats, CapturedByNoodles, 297.1, Victorious-Mind, R0ach, PaperChild, curosityisn'tcurious, Orcux, Freyco, Ldrmas, Ko-Sensei, FallenAngel1129, theatrelove123, PinkSugarDust, SeaWeedHead, pennamesareforfancypeople.

I'll see you all next time. Now, I need to do my homework.

(And again, sorry for low quality chapter. Longer chapters are harder to proof read.)


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Warning! Awkwardly placed page break! D:

* * *

When Rin escaped to the Iwatobi beach, he intended to relax, to forget about all his troubles surrounding a certain water boy.

He definitely didn't come to see Haru kiss Daichi.

On Thursday, Rin had simply wandered around town, exploring the area around his private school while trying desperately to drown out his thoughts. On Friday, his feet carried him even further, onto the metro and back into his childhood, first to the modest Iwatobi Elementary School and then to the demolished swim club. Any traces of the once vibrant and happy building had vanished, replaced by cranes and tractors and excavators - all the flurry and confusion of a once-simple entity attempting to move on with the times. It was more calming than it was troubling, like a resigned reminder that life would move on inevitably.

On Saturday, Rin snapped from the lack of activity. He headed straight for the beach, his body jittery with withdrawal from swimming and the emotions that pummeled him relentlessly the past few days. He intended to swim for a bit, immerse himself into the crowd, maybe try to pick up a few chicks to convince himself that he was perfectly fine, before calling it a day and returning to his dorm.

He didn't expect his old friends to be there.

Before Makoto could catch sight of him, Rin ducked behind a passerby, ignoring the slight glare he received. The brunet ran right past him, too intent on chasing the beach ball that had flown away to notice any suspicious redheads hiding poorly behind strangers. Makoto disappeared as quickly as he came, running back to a waiting gaggle of teens - the Iwatobi swim club.

No, not quite. Haru and Daichi fucking Watanabe weren't there. Jealousy shot through Rin like a spear. Were they off on a date? Kissing under the sun? Fucking like bunnies?

Fuck, fuck, _fuck_. Rin didn't come to think about Haru. Not that that was even possible anymore because as long as his former friends played beach volleyball like idiots on the beach, Rin would _always _think about Haru and his butt-ugly boy toy.

A cough from the middle-aged woman Rin was crouched behind snapped him out of his train of thought. He muttered an apology before ducking away, careful to stay out of the swim club's sight. He found himself orbiting around their general area, scoping out their activities and territory despite the clamoring bells that told him to get out of there before he was caught, before he hurt himself even more. He scanned their movements carefully.

Makoto was responsible as always, taking it upon himself to retrieve the ball and referee the game. Nagisa was the force behind the tomfoolery, shouting loudly and enthusiastically with each move. That blue-haired butterfly nerd was swept along with the mood, pushing his glasses up every time he spiked the ball. Gou was laughing cheerfully, the sound resounding in Rin's ears like the sweet call of a nightingale.

Rin's eyes lit up when he saw Gou. Gou, his dear little sister. Probably the only person in the world who didn't despise him and maintained the patience to bear his temper. Also the sweetest little girl Rin had ever gotten the privilege of knowing, busty women and licentious chicks blown completely out of the water. Her presence alone was almost enough to drive Rin away from his foolish game of hide-and-seek and approach the group.

He felt a pang. Some of the maneuvers performed were abysmal, and Rin itched to jump in and show them how it was done. Maybe Haru would appear, and they could play a friendly game of volleyball together. It was like Rin was a child again, rallying the inflatable ball with Gou and beating up Daichi when that asshole stole it away from her and made her cry.

His wishful mood plummeted as thoughts of Haru dating Daichi flashed through his head like a spiteful montage. Wherever Haru went, Daichi would no doubt follow. Even into Rin's childhood friendship with Haru, where the blond had no right to be in. But who was he kidding? Their childhood friendship was long gone.

"Haru, there they are!"

Speak of the devil. Rin dashed behind a group of teens, ignoring the queer looks and attempting futilely to calm his racing heart.

What the hell was happening?

He tiptoed around the group, peeping out to see Daichi and Haru stroll to an area marked by bags, towels, folding chairs, and an umbrella. Daichi yelled something at the group playing volleyball, and they quit their game to walk to where Daichi and Haru sat, side by side. Rin ignored the bitterness rising in him.

Rin did not dare go into the water or flirt with any girls while he hovered around the group eating lunch, always keeping his distance and hiding behind people. The club eventually dispersed as everyone ventured into the ocean or played in the sand, everyone but Haru. His figure was sat appealingly on a folding chair, the curve of his back and the tilt of his head making a bittersweet sensation rip through Rin's heart. Oh, how he _missed _Haru.

A flash of gangly build startled Rin's gaze away from Haru and onto the lover boy, who was tiptoeing sloppily with two cans of soda on hand. The blond crept close to Haru, too close, before pressing one can against Haru's cheeks and laughing when the dark-haired boy jumped. Rin watched the exchange with dull eyes.

What the fuck was he doing here? Haru liked Daichi. That much was clear. Why did he even bother getting angry over Haru anymore? It wouldn't change anything.

He should give up, he realized. There was no point in struggling when the situation was so futile, when the competition was already resolved. Sure, the will to act was innate in him, but Rin prided his logic as much as he prided his spirit. And his logic told him it was a lost cause.

He watched as Daichi sat beside Haru, their bodies so close that their shoulders were practically touching. He watched as Haru massaged Daichi's shoulder, his fingers tracing over the blond's skin with a care and gentleness that Haru never showed to Rin. He watched as Daichi's head lit up, expression showing so much embarrassment and feeling with an honesty that Rin never showed to Haru. He watched as Haru took the bully's hand in his, eyes half-mast, lips slightly opened, and leaning in with the clearest intention in the world.

That snapped everything into perspective.

Give up? Give up, his ass. There was no fucking way Rin was giving up, especially when everything was unresolved and Haru didn't realize exactly how deep their weird fling was for Rin. Rin would not stand for this. As long as Rin was still breathing, still seeing Haru, still given the opportunity to do something, Rin would do everything in his power to not let things end like this.

His body moved without a conscious thought, a trait that Rin had a love-hate relationship with, and soon, he found himself glowering furiously over Haru and Daichi, their umbrella broken on the ground.

* * *

"What the fuck are you doing, Haru?"

Those were empty words. Rin knew exactly what Haru was doing.

Haru regarded him coldly, his hands twining even more tightly with Daichi's. Rin stared at the sight, suddenly realizing that Haru never held Rin's hands like that.

"What do you think I'm doing, Rin?" His name was said with a subtle sneer. "It's none of your business."

Rin felt like he couldn't widen his eyes any more. None of his business? _None of his business? _Rin was having a fucking mental breakdown over Haru, and all he had to say was that it was _none of his business?_

Something intangibly important snapped in him, leaving him feeling so wrong and off-balance like the ground was tilting under him. He smothered the feeling by fanning the already furious flame raging inside of him.

"Leave him alone, dude!"

It was Daichi who spoke. Rin's gaze - he must have looked absolutely bestial because the blond looked like he was about to piss himself - landed on Daichi before trailing down to see the bully squeeze Haru's hand ever so slightly. Another snap.

"You're not in this. Stay out of it, or do you want me to punch you a second time?"

Rin meant every word. Haruka clearly sensed this, releasing his hold on Daichi's hand and arm - _finally_ - to hold his arm up protectively between Rin and the bully.

"You stay out of it, Rin. It's none of your business."

There it was again. Rin took a step forward, and Daichi reacted by latching his hands onto Haruka's shoulder and pulling him back. Rin felt the spike in his heart twist painfully at the touch.

"You must be kidding," Rin began, his voice starting off quietly as the dam holding back his rage held intact.

"You must be kidding," he repeated. "It is my business. Don't pretend what happened between us never existed. You didn't end anything, just left halfway. Don't you dare say it's none of my business!"

The last word was the peak of the crescendo, and Daichi's grip on Haru's shoulder tightened. Haru's normally stony face was riddled with shock and disbelief that quickly transformed into anger, and the dark-haired boy stood up from his seat abruptly.

"Of course I left halfway." Haruka's voice was pitched with emotion. "You were raping me. Did you expect me to stay?"

The words echoed in Rin's head like a yell in an empty cavern. He couldn't believe it.

"Rape, you say," Rin said lowly. Haruka bared his teeth.

"You thought it was rape?" Rin reiterated. The fiery determination from before suddenly filled every nook and cranny of his body.

"It wasn't rape, Haru. You have no idea what rape is. I'll _show _you the difference."

Haru's eyes widened.

Daichi registered Rin's words quickly, and the blond lunged at Rin in an attempt to hold him back, but Rin shook the scrawny boy away like a sack of potatoes. Rin slammed into Haruka with the force of a bull, crashing both of them over the folding chairs and onto the ground. A hushed silence washed over their general area as the crowd realized something was not quite right.

"Haru!" Daichi screamed. Rin ignored him, using what little strength he had left in him to pin Haru's struggling body under him tightly. One hand clenched Haruka's wrists, the other clenched his neck, and his knees locked Haru's under him, immobilizing the boy efficiently.

"Rin. Rin!"

How long had it been since Haru last called his name?

"Let go! Let go of me! I - I'll call the cops!"

But the emotion behind the cry was completely different. Rin saw fear in Haru's blue orbs, and the sight made his heart drop. Rin tightened his grip around Haru's neck slightly, and the boy stopped yelling completely, his body going limp as he trembled uncontrollably. Daichi stopped screaming, turning around and running away.

"Don't look at me like that, Haru," Rin muttered lowly. Haru said nothing, the fear still dancing in his blue eyes. Rin gritted his teeth.

"Stop it, Haru. You're an asshole, you know that?"

Rin could hear the restless murmuring of the crowd around him, the people clearly sensing something wrong. The onlookers hovered around Rin and Haru suffocatingly, but Rin ignored them.

He leaned in, right beside Haru's left ear. The murmurs intensified.

This was his last chance. There was no way Rin was letting it go.

Rin felt Haru tense under him, attempting to turn his head away, but Rin's hand locked Haru's head in place. The unsettled whispering escalated, but Rin just pressed on, tracing the shape of Haru's jaw with his thumb, admiring how angular it was and how it trembled with every breath the boy took. He felt the need wash over him like a tsunami, the plush warmth of Haru's lips and the intoxicating hue of Haru's eye made that much more irresistible by desperation, and it took every last bit of self-control Rin had to not kiss Haru senseless in front of everyone.

"I would never rape you, Haru," he whispered into Haru's ear. Haru shuddered. "I wouldn't do something like that to you."

Rin pulled his head back, angling the other's face for a better look. Haru's face was a mix of terror and panic.

"Stop it. What are you doing?" Haru's voice was uncharacteristically shaky. Rin's eyes skimmed the slightly smaller boy's figure, taking in the flushed face with a sick relief. It was comforting to know that Rin could still affect Haru, even if his heart laid elsewhere.

From under him, Rin felt Haruka's body convulse, temperature rising and breaths quickening. He hungrily skimmed Haru's beautiful figure, burning each contour, each rise, each dip into his retinas, looking everywhere but at Haru's face because he didn't want to see the undoubtedly disgusted expression. He mentally counted each second of the invaluable proximity, knowing that his time was running out.

And it did. Something hard collided with his side, knocking the breath out of Rin and Rin off of Haru. Rin coughed, propping himself up on the sand, but a second hit knocked stars into Rin's vision.

"Stay away from Haru!"

It was the heroic boyfriend to the rescue.

The attacks paused, and Rin took the opportunity to see his assailants coldly. Daichi was at the front, his bony build swelled with impressive fury. A pole from the broken umbrella was in his hands, and close behind him stood Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, and a horrified Gou.

Rin massaged his bruising temple, cursing his luck. At the very least, he didn't want Gou to see this.

Makoto collapsed on the ground beside Haru, pulling the boy into his arms into a tight bear hug. Nagisa and Rei hovered around the two while Gou seemed torn between approaching Rin and approaching Haru. The rumble of the onlookers had quieted.

Daichi seemed unsatisfied with Rin's lack of response, swinging the pole inches away from Rin's face. "I told you to stay away! Get away from us!"

Rin didn't say anything despite the hate that was bubbling inside of him. He stood up slowly and dusted the sand away from his clothes, ignoring the furious hand that held the pole. He glanced at Haru, smirking slightly as Haru flinched.

"Have fun, Haru."

Daichi snapped, charging forward. The crowd shifted like a wave, each onlooker attempting to get away from the furious blond boy. Rin let his head fall low, bracing himself for the impact that he undoubtedly deserved.

"Daichi-senpai, no!" Gou flung herself forward, throwing her arms around Daichi's. Both Rin and Daichi tensed, the latter freezing in place completely.

"Daichi-san, don't," Makoto said, releasing Haru and strategically grabbing the arm that held the pole. He shot a sideward glance at Rin. "As much as I agree with the sentiment, you need to control yourself."

Nagisa stepped forward to rest a hand on the bully's trembling shoulder. "Come on, Daichi-kun. Don't waste your energy on him."

Rei moved as well. "Violence can get you suspended from school. Don't get punished because of Matsuoka-san."

Gou was last to speak up, her eyes tearing as she clutched Daichi's arm tightly to her chest.

"Please don't hurt my brother," she said in a small voice.

Daichi dropped the pole, and everyone else pulled back from him. He took deep breaths, forcing away his uncontrollable trembling, before he stepped forward, spiting at the ground in front of Rin.

"Leave us alone. I'll bash your head in if you try to get close."

Rin didn't have to be told twice.

He stepped away from the group, away from the small world that he was no longer apart of. The onlookers parted for him, almost like the Red Sea, and just like that, the crowd swallowed him away from Haru's burning eyes.

* * *

A/N: Drama llama dropping by. Don't mind him. Just camping around for a bit.

So this chapter was kind of eventful. Completely Rin POV. A pain to write because I wasn't sure how to execute it. Unfortunately a break from the behemoth chapters I seem to be churning out, but I think this is a good place to stop.

Thanks to the reviewers, imperativa, Elvent, CapturedByNoodles, iMakeMistakes, R0ach, Victorious-Mind, Hey Those Beats, Mplunkett, Ni-chan9, Ko-Sensei, PaperChild, jtchibifan, curosityisn'tcurious, the-l0llip0p, pennamesareforfancypeople, PinkSugarDust, Guest, Ldrmas, Anglo-Chan, Say-It, bleepbloop559, FallenAngel1129, Animecherryblossem33, ironicmint. Seriously, the reviews this time brought the dorkiest grin on my face, all of them during school. I'm really lucky to have such wonderful reviewers. Maybe I should use cliffhangers more. xD

Now, I should probably get some rest because I had three nose bleeds today, two of them during my English class. Dx Humiliating stuff I'll probably tell at parties. Parties that I won't be invited to or attend because who needs real-life parties when you have the internet? NOT ME.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Warning! Inaccuracies because I have no idea how hot spring resorts work!

* * *

It was happening again.

Rin had a knack for hurting Haruka. He had a devilish sense of timing, always knowing when Haruka was at his highest, when the fall would hurt the most. How many times had Haruka been hurt, then hopeful, then hurt again? Rin leaving. Rin coming back. Rin crying after their race. The list went on and on and on, all the way up to the here and the now, when Rin whispered sweet words into his ear. Words that made butterflies burst out of the cocoon that was once Haruka's heart. Words that made every cell in his body want to dance.

It was a pattern. Haruka could realize that much. He had just passed the hurt stage - _"We're giving each other pleasure. That's all there is to it."_ - progressed timidly into the recovery stage - _"And you can call me Daichi, 'kay? We're bros now, dude."_ - and now, Rin was back again to inflate his hope up to inconceivable heights, past the atmosphere, beyond the Sun's pull, right out of the galaxy, all so Rin could throw him back down at breakneck speeds, so Haruka would hit rock bottom.

It was like a roller-coaster. Haruka was never good with roller-coasters.

"Haru, he didn't do anything to you, did he?"

It took much longer than it should have to register Makoto's voice. Haruka looked up slowly, eyes locking on the brunet's moving mouth yet unable to understand a single word he said.

He did, Haruka wanted to say. He did just about _everything _to him. He crushed all his efforts to get over Rin with one fell swoop, and now Haruka was back where he started, kneeling under Rin while the redhead pissed on his heart.

Dammit. _Dammit_.

Haruka wanted to cry out at the heavens and curse it for giving Rin such impeccable timing, such comprehension over Haruka's moods. Why did Rin have to come in to the picture? Why did Rin have to do that when Haruka was about to get over him for good? Would it be like this forever? Would Haruka remain shackled to Rin's feet for all of eternity?

Would he never get over Rin?

The world was shaking up and down. Literally. Haruka vaguely realized that Makoto was shaking his shoulders frantically, probably about to assume something ludicrous. He lifted a hand to grab Makoto's wrists, causing the brunet to halt.

"Stop, Makoto," he heard himself say. "I'm getting sick."

The transition from panic to relief on Makoto's face was like watching an ice cube melt into water in a split second. He released his hold on Haruka's shoulders reluctantly, probably very aware of how much he disliked to be touched. Haruka glanced around at his surroundings, noticing Rei and Nagisa working to push the crowd away and Daichi and Kou-san observing him in silence. He stood up shakily.

"What did he do to you?" Daichi asked sharply. Haruka looked at him blankly.

"Nothing."

Daichi scowled, the contortion of his face displaying disapproval and possibly hurt, but he said nothing.

Light plods in the sand marked Nagisa's and Rei's approach, the audience gone save for curious glances here and there. They stopped before the group, Nagisa sinking so far into his shoulders that he looked like a turtle. It was becoming a common sight these days, a testimony to the plummeting mood of the club's life as a whole.

"Sorry, Haru-chan," Nagisa muttered, head bowed low. "This was supposed to be fun."

Haruka sighed. "It was fun."

His halfhearted assurance did not assure Nagisa the least. Rei walked to where their camp once laid, shuffling through the broken equipment in dismay.

"My umbrella," he grumbled. "My beautiful umbrella."

Makoto smiled, but it appeared more like a grimace. "It's all right, Rei. I can pay for it."

"No, I can do it," Rei replied quietly, salvaging from the broken skeleton that was once an umbrella. A light wind blew a piece of fabric from a folding chair away, the remnant fluttering around their solemn huddle almost curiously before disappearing into the distance.

The gloom pervaded thickly, like the fog in the early morning. The only sounds heard, besides the perpetual clamor of the crowded beach and the crisp splashes of water, were the clinks of Rei pulling roughly from the rubbish. The cheerful beach volleyball game, the humorous attempts at teaching Daichi how to swim, and even the moment that Haruka and Daichi shared - they were long gone. Kou-san broke the silence with a hesitant smile, attempting and failing to cover up her agitation.

"Well, we should make the best of the situation," she offered. "We still have our tickets to the hot spring resort."

At that, Nagisa brightened slightly. "You're right, Gou! We can still enjoy ourselves at the hot springs."

"The day isn't over yet," Makoto agreed, the solemn expression on his face breaking to show the slightest signs of lightheartedness.

"It would be a shame to waste the free tickets for something like this," Rei muttered, pushing his glasses up.

The four of them turned to look at Daichi and Haruka quietly, inviting despite the deathly silence the two of them emitted. Daichi was first to break the silence, muttering a halfhearted _sure_. The gazes shifted onto Haruka, who had yet to react to their conversation.

A trip to the hot springs?

No. Haruka didn't want to go. He didn't want to spend another second of his life lifting his hopes just so Rin could make the fall more painful. He just wanted to lock himself away in his house, throw his phone out the window, take baths all day, maybe fake his own death so everyone could just leave Haruka alone and Haruka wouldn't have to deal with this relationship bullshit anymore.

But that wasn't an option. His friends were waiting for him. He lifted his eyes up, first landing on Rei, then Nagisa, then Makoto, and finally Daichi.

Daichi.

Daichi Watanabe, the obnoxious tormentor of Haruka's classroom time. Also the person who got angry on Haruka's behalf, who fought for Haruka, who didn't invade, who didn't push, who didn't dramatize. He was precious like dear, dear Makoto, but not quite. He had a different role. He held something much more exclusive: the key to getting over Rin.

A rush of anger washed over him. Screw Rin. Haruka wasn't going to let him affect his decisions because - let's face it - that would only be cementing his horrible powerlessness under Rin. But Haruka wasn't powerless. Haruka refused to be tethered to Rin for eternity, to let the redhead drag him through muck like he'd always done. Damn Rin. Damn him and his captivating red eyes, his charismatic mouth, his endearing habit of pulling back his goggles. Damn his sweet words and tricks. Haruka wasn't going to fall for them again.

Haruka was going to break away from Rin, even if he lost his leg in the process. And Haruka knew exactly where to start.

"Let's go," he heard himself saying. There was a startled silence before Nagisa let out a whoop, and they began picking up their supplies and cleaning through their broken equipment.

As Haruka slipped his clothes on, his fingers fidgeted uncontrollably, making the already torturous task of putting on clothes much more painful. He smoothed his bag carefully, counting all his supplies with a meticulousness that never failed to make him think.

Half of Haruka knew that he wouldn't be able to get over Rin, at least not with what he was planning.

The outspoken, torrential, raging other half of him chanted, with the power of a hundred thousand angry protesters, that Haruka was going to do it regardless of what would happen. That Haruka was going to fucking go through with his plan because fuck the world. There was nothing else left to do.

They left the beach and entered the metro, well on their way to the hot springs.

* * *

"Hazuki?" the parrot-like receptionist trilled. "Hazuki, Hazuki - yes, we have your reservation here. Here are the keys to your rooms. They'll be to your left."

Nagisa took the keys with a thankful grin, turning to the other members of the Iwatobi swim club with an excited grin. They bowed at the receptionist as they walked past, Nagisa strutting confidently in the lead. Soon, the blond halted in front of two sliding doors, turning around to face the startled group with an authoritative expression.

"Alright, guys! Let's pick roommates! We have two rooms, so three per room. Who wants to go first?"

"I want to room with Daichi," Haruka deadpanned. Daichi jumped, but the surprise was reflected in everyone else's faces as well.

"I'll go with Nagisa," Rei declared, pushing his glasses up. Makoto turned to face Kou-san.

"Well, that leaves you and me," he said kindly. "Who do you want to be with? Should we make it second-years and first-years?"

Kou-san didn't reply for a few seconds, the turning cogs in her head clearly audible in the silence. She glanced at Haruka and Daichi, then at Nagisa and Rei.

"I think I'll go with Haruka-senpai and Daichi-senpai," she said quietly, her feet shifting shyly. "If that's okay with you. I mean, if you want to room with Haruka-senpai, then I can just go with Rei-kun and Nagisa-kun."

"It's all right." Makoto smiled winningly at Kou-san, who nodded thankfully. Haruka didn't fail to notice the discreet glance that she shot his way.

"Since that's resolved, here's your key!" Nagisa tossed the key at Daichi, who fumbled for a good few seconds before finally securing it in his hands. "Let's meet up at the hot springs at six! Until then, let's just have fun!"

A grunt of agreement later, the group separated into their respective rooms. When Daichi opened the door, a cloud of dust rained down on them, making the blond wrinkle his nose.

"Gross," he muttered. Kou-san sighed.

"I should've guessed there was a reason the tickets were free."

They entered the room, setting their bags gently against a wall and admiring how run-down the room was. Daichi made a show of stomping on the floors, marveling at how each step returned an almost bestial creak.

"Hey, look!" Daichi exclaimed, stomping rhythmically at the mats. "How old is this piece of shit? We can make an orchestra out of this!"

"Daichi-senpai, you're going to collapse the resort," Kou-san grumbled. Daichi just laughed wildly, his previous gloom forgotten completely as he grinned cheekily at the girl.

For the next hour or so, Haruka watched as Daichi continued his tomfoolerly and Kou-san investigated the room thoroughly. Gone was the heroic defender of justice. Gone was the consequent gloom. Daichi was back to his usual boisterous self, his spirit rebounding with the force and certainly the shock of a slingshot. He laughed happily, peeping over Kou-san's shoulder when she attempted to check her phone, guffawing obnoxiously when the girl slapped him gently on the face and told him to go away, walking over to where Haruka sat and talking softly to him. The blond babbled on and on about something as Haruka nodded here and there.

"So, dude. I guess we're more than bros now," Daichi pondered, running a hand through that unruly blond hair. It sprang up instantly, like Daichi's spirit.

"Yeah," Haruka sighed softly, his eyes trailing sharply over Daichi's features. Daichi took no notice, instead reaching over to pat Haruka's shoulder.

"The bromance is deep," he continued. "One could even say _gay_. Damn, I've never told anyone that kind of shit before. Congrats, water freak. You have one of my firsts."

Haruka sighed a confirmation again, his hands clenching at Daichi's words. He felt his eyes lid as the fire from before ignited slightly.

"I'm glad," he replied lowly, his voice silky. "I'm glad I have such a privilege."

Daichi slapped Haruka's shoulder again, laughing loudly. "Woah, there! Tone down the gay a bit, will you? I mean, I think I ran out of gay jokes now."

"They weren't funny in the first place," Haruka returned. Daichi nudged Haruka's side with his elbow playfully, but the contact left Haruka's skin burning.

"Don't be a dick, man."

Haruka turned his gaze away from Daichi's, his eyes suddenly captured by the red ones looking his way. Kou-san blinked when Haruka met her gaze, but she rebounded, staring at him with a question in her eyes. A question Haruka didn't want to answer.

He looked away, returning his focus on Daichi, engaging himself completely with whatever came out of the blond's mouth. A nod here. A smile here. A comment here. Haruka could feel them getting closer and closer.

They passed their time like this, holding stupid conversations, playing stupid games, exploring the resort for a bit. Just like that, six o'clock was upon them.

* * *

The hot spring was, for the most part relaxing, albeit slightly too hot and shallow for Haruka's tastes. Nonetheless, it was water, and it was bigger than a bath, so it appeased Haruka's nerves at least marginally.

The five males of the Iwatobi swim club sat in a circle, going counter-clockwise Haruka, Makoto, Daichi, Nagisa, and Rei. Much of the conversation made at the hot spring was about how Kou-san was probably lonely, about the upcoming tournament, about how Daichi was utterly hopeless at swimming - "Not my fault, bro!" - and about what they would do before going to bed. The topic of Rin and what happened at the beach was avoided like a plague, something Haruka was glad for. He was going to move on tonight.

Rei was the first to leave, adhering almost religiously to his sleep schedule and saying something about not accepting any damage to his hypothalamus. Nagisa followed soon after, the mischievous gleam in his eyes suggesting that he was determined to keep Rei from sleeping as long as possible. Makoto was last, hearing a strange crashing noise from the area of their rooms and rushing off to see what shenanigans Nagisa managed to get himself caught in.

"Do you want to go with me?" Makoto asked. "It's getting pretty late, so we should be going out anyways."

Daichi shifted slightly, but Haruka placed a commanding hand on the blond's shoulder, making him still.

"Daichi and I will stay a little longer," he said calmly. Daichi shot him a confused look, but otherwise settled. Makoto blinked at his response, the surprise shown clearly on his face, but he nodded and disappeared quickly from sight, getting away from the spring as fast as possible.

Haruka was left alone with Daichi.

The blond shifted uncomfortably. "Hey, so what's this about?"

Haruka ignored him, closing his eyes. He learned after so much talking with Daichi that the blond would not say anything unless Haruka showed interest. Sure enough, the blond quieted, moving to hug a knee to his chest as they sat in silence.

Haruka shifted closer to Daichi, taking over where Makoto sat. Daichi looked at him, surprise etched in every feature of his face.

"Just thought we should sit closer," Haruka said softly. Daichi made a strangled noise of consent, nodding with wide eyes. They were close enough that any shift in position would brush their shoulders together. Haruka almost physically shuddered at the prospect.

He turned to face Daichi, who met his gaze apprehensively. Haruka took the opportunity to scan the boy's features again, taking note of the angle of the bully's nose, how it would clash against his when they kissed. Daichi shifted uncomfortably.

"Yes?" he squeaked in a small voice. Haruka almost smirked at how much it resembled a small animals. He instead placed a hand gently on Daichi's shoulders, tracing his fingers in circles much like how he massaged Daichi's shoulders earlier that day. Daichi seemed to recognize the action, accepting the gesture with stiff arms.

"About what you said earlier today," Haruka said huskily. His fingers began tracing downwards, resting to massage the boy's slight biceps. Daichi shuddered, shrinking away nervously.

"...when you said you'd confess to the person you like," Haruka continued. He leaned his head forward so that his chin was almost touching Daichi's shoulder and his breaths fanned gently over Daichi's ear. Haruka watched as the ear turned bright red, trailing his fingers down further, past the elbow and onto Daichi's lower arm.

"...I support you," he finished, making sure every breath tickled the blond's ear. Daichi was tomato red now, and he couldn't meet Haruka's gaze.

"I-I'm really flattered," he stuttered, his tongue tripping clumsily over his words. Haruka's hand moved down to clench Daichi's hand tightly, and he rearranged himself so that he was facing Daichi, pressing the blond's back deeply against the edge of the spring. Daichi's eyes widened impossibly, and his jaw fell slack open. All of a sudden, the situation seemed to register in Daichi's head.

Haruka was naked. Daichi was naked. Haruka was pinning Daichi against a wall. The only thing that protected their dangly bits was the water.

"I'm glad," Haruka replied lowly, watching as the blond jumped at his words. He then kissed him.

Kissing Daichi was so much different from kissing Rin, where Rin was the instigator and Haruka was the naive virgin attempting to follow his pace. Kissing Daichi was a change of pace, almost a passing of age ceremony, as Haruka was the one pushing his lips ravenously onto Daichi's. From under his, Daichi's lips trembled, opening to say something, but Haruka just took the opportunity to shove in his tongue and swallow whatever was coming out hungrily, possessively. Daichi's hands were clutching at his shoulders now, shaking violently, but Haruka ignored it, because Haruka was _so damn close_.

Fuck you, Rin, he thought as he trailed his tongue possessively over every ridge of Daichi's mouth, memorizing it and marking it as his. He wasn't Rin's, Haruka thought as he moaned sensually against the bully's bony chest, his lips nipping teasingly at Daichi's and hand moving up clench the blond's unruly hair. He almost growled with frustration when he the bully's mouth remained limp, when Daichi made no effort to return his administrations.

That made Haruka angry.

Was he so useless? Was he so unattractive that even when he was offering himself completely to the person he liked, to the person who liked him, he wouldn't be accepted? What more could he do to improve? Haruka had already done every he could. Gave away whatever he could. His swimming. His heart. His body. What else could he fucking do?

_What else could he fucking do?_

When Daichi bit Haruka's lip forcefully, Haruka pulled back, falling completely into the water and staining the liquid with a trail of red. When he reemerged from the water, the moisture making his bangs cling in front of his eyes, he spied the partly furious, mostly freaked out expression on Daichi's face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Daichi virtually shrieked. Haruka winced at his tone, but he lunged forward again.

"Why're you so mad?" Haruka growled as he pushed his face threateningly into Daichi's. The blond trembled with both rage and terror.

"Why wouldn't I be mad? You're virtually raping me!"

The _r _word echoed in Haruka's head, and he snarled angrily, offended at be given such a title.

"Raping? I'm not raping you. I'm giving you exactly what you want, Daichi." His hand moved to stroke Daichi's hair again, but the blond flinched away from his touch. "You like me, Daichi. I'm returning your feelings."

"No!" Daichi returned when Haruka leaned in for another kiss. The blond pulled his head as far away from Haruka's as possible, reaching his hands up to block Haruka's lips.

"I don't like you! I like Gou!"

* * *

A/N: This chapter. I just - obscene amounts of homework and dedication to fan fiction do not go together at all. I am so sorry if this chapter comes out late. I just I can't my mind is dead from studying and writing this chapter it's so hard to write chapters sob sob sob. I'm just - I feel so bad for being unable to give you guys a better chapter. D:

Reviewers! I finally managed to get to it! Lilly927, Ldrmas, imperativa, Arelinna, CapturedByNoodles, veancie, Victorious-Mind, Hey Those Beats, Elvent, brojaxeh, Mplunkett, curiosityisn'tcurious, iMakeMistakes, HavenRose, Ni-chan9, Say-It, FallenAngel1129, PinkSugarDust, nothingcompaires, NekoKaigara, PaperChild, Ko-Sensei, SupernovaBrainImplosion, Kinkylittlewolf, JulieBecker.

Yeah. I have to go. See y'all next time.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: I should have put a second-hand embarrassment warning in the last chapter, but here it is now! Warning! Possible second-hand embarrassment! And an awkwardly placed page break again.

* * *

For a moment, both Haruka and Daichi were frozen in time. Then Haruka broke the spell with the most eloquent response he had ever formed in his life.

"Uh, what?"

That snapped Daichi out of his momentary shock, and he resumed pushing valiantly against Haruka's push. Haruka ignored the feeble attempts, trying to preserve what little brain power he had left to wrap his head around the strange, foreign syllables that came out of Daichi's mouth.

"You like Gou?" he finally managed to force out, echoing Daichi's words.

"Yes! Get off me!" Daichi shouted, pushing him away with shaking hands. Haruka didn't move an inch, almost as if his growing confusion was manifesting as a cement that hardened around his body, preventing any movement.

Daichi liked Gou? As in Kou-san?

"You don't like me?" Haruka muttered, feeling dazed by the situation.

"No! Not at all, dude!"

The quickness of the answer was what snapped Haruka's brain from point a to point b. Daichi didn't like Haruka. Daichi liked... Kou-san?

A whirlwind of hazy images raged in Haruka's mind. Daichi blushing at the mall. Their conversation at Daichi's house. His resolve to confess to the person he liked. The missing piece suddenly fell in place, and Haruka could hear the snap of the lock ringing in his head.

When Daichi blushed at the mall, Kou-san was sitting beside Haruka. When Daichi mentioned joining the club to get closer to the person he liked, he meant Kou-san. When Daichi said he would confess to the person he liked, he was talking about Kou-san.

Not Haruka.

Embarrassment pummeled away the numb confusion that stiffened around Haruka with the efficiency of a million chisels. All of a sudden, his face and his ears felt unbearably hot, and he found himself jerking away from Daichi's body as if it was a fire. Daichi fell into the water with a loud splash once Haruka stopped pushing him up against the wall, the blond's face obscured for a few thankful moments. He rose up, sputtering and coughing up water - oops - before hooking an arm over the ledge to support himself.

"S-sorry," Haruka tried to say, but it came out more as a gargled mess of stutters and grunts. The heat at his face was cooking his brain, and he found himself looking everywhere but at the blond. "I thought - sorry. I mean, I didn't - I just - sorry."

Daichi's hacking coughs died away, leaving him leaning motionlessly against the wall for a fleeting moment. The blond suddenly darted away, past Haruka, out of the hot spring, slamming the door behind him without a glance backwards.

Haruka remained standing in place, his legs almost giving out as every single blood cell in his body rushed to his face. Anger seeped into the torrent of shame as Haruka found his temperatures elevating to uncomfortable levels.

Daichi liked _Kou-san_ the whole time?

Why the fuck did he not say that earlier?

He tried to calm himself, to push away the combating feelings of anger and mortification and preserve the scarce logic left in him. So Daichi didn't like Haruka. He liked Kou-san. Okay. That was fine. The blond could like whoever he wanted to, although that left a few holes in Haruka's plan. That was fine also. Haruka would just revise his plan. Not the end of the world.

Yeah. Revise. Daichi could still help Haruka get over Rin. Haruka could apologize to Daichi before they go to sleep, and everything would be fine. Maybe Daichi would come to his senses. Maybe Daichi would change his mind and decide he liked Haruka, not Kou-san, because the entirety of Haruka's plan depended on the fact that Daichi liked Haruka.

But Daichi didn't like Haruka. Daichi liked Kou-san.

Hm. Well, okay. The basis of his plan was completely shot, but it wasn't as if it was the only plan he had to escape from Rin's influence. It wasn't like his plan, which depended on the fact Daichi liked him, was his only option out.

Except it was. And Daichi never liked Haruka in the first place.

There was never an out option in the first place.

Haruka felt the air get knocked out of him as the realization flooded his being, clogging his synapses and causing him to sink weakly into the water. It was futile, he realized with a dry laugh. Since the very beginning, it was all futile. Haruka's escape option never existed in the first place. The entire time, Haruka was just chasing after a self-constructed mirage, the image of the oasis powered solely by Haruka's insatiable thirst for freedom. His own mind had tricked him.

A thousand voices chanted in thunderous cacophony, all echoing one word: _futile_.

Haruka would never escape Rin.

When Makoto entered the hot spring area, saying something about how Daichi didn't look very good and he heard some yells from the hot spring and it's getting late, Haruka was a frothing wreck of mortification, fury, and anguish.

Needless to say, he didn't spend another second in the hot spring.

* * *

Haruka was never a particularly emotional person. His emotions were usually small and shallow, like the mild pleasure of eating mackerel or a slight annoyance when someone he didn't like talked to him. The only instances when Haruka felt like he couldn't contain his emotions were when water was involved, but even then, Haruka remained composed. He could count on one hand how many times his emotions knocked the breath out of him.

The first time was his fateful race with Rin, when the redhead exited his life emotionally and physically, unlike his first departure to Australia. Haruka felt airless, waterless for days, completely void of enjoyment, much like the grief one would experience with the loss of a dear friend or relative. It was, in a way, a loss. The Rin who was Haruka's close friend was dead.

The second time was when the loss was real, when his grandmother passed away. Haruka reacted very much the same way, feeling the life being sucked out of him as if he was following his grandmother to the grave. Sometimes he wished that he was, of course not in a permanent sense, if only to accompany her on the journey, to make sure she was all right. He spent his time paying his respects to his grandmother and attending to her old possessions, the last signs of her presence.

The third time was his breakup with Kou-san. It was his first romance. She was Rin's little sister. When Kou-san turned away from him and closed the door, Haruka felt like the he had betrayed what little trust left for him. He had failed _again_.

The fourth time was with Rin, probably as a direct result of his breakup with Kou. It was the moment Haruka's emotions took a sharp turn, from piercing yet numb to raging and life-consuming. It was like being dipped completely in lava, as if everything in and around him was melting away into nothing.

The fifth time - now was the fifth time. The realization that the escape he hoped for and worked for never existed in the first place - Haruka felt like the world was crashing down on him.

It wasn't quite as intense as when Haruka was in the hot spring, abandoned after poor Daichi had run out in a panic. It was faded and grayed, which Haruka reasoned was an instinctual development because his brain felt like it could collapse if any more intense emotion came about. The sensation itself had left, but the knowledge remained cemented in Haruka's mind.

Haruka would never escape Rin.

It was a cold night, a clear contrast to the steamy temperatures of the hot spring. No light filtered into the cheap room due to its positioning; the window looked straight into the trunk of a tree. The darkness didn't stymie Haruka's ability to sense the bodies sharing the room, each lying with varying degrees of comfort on their futons. If anything, it only made him hyperaware of the even breaths of Kou-san's sleeping form and the jagged breaths of Daichi's.

From the opposite side of the room, Haruka heard Daichi sneeze before shifting subtly on his futon, clearly wide awake. Understandable. If Haruka, the perpetrator, couldn't sleep, then what was Daichi, the victim experiencing? Was he experiencing the same despair that Haruka felt?

No, probably not. Daichi didn't have enough context to feel such a strong emotion. Haruka had plenty. Haruka had been sexually harassed by the person he once regarded as a close friend, and his trust was completely shattered as a result. It wasn't like Daichi had also been sexually harassed by a trusted person.

Somewhere in the world, someone was laughing. He didn't, feeling sick at the irony.

When Haruka accused Rin of being a rapist a few hours ago - only a few hours? It felt like weeks - he felt completely justified despite the small part of his brain that told him it wasn't quite true, that his emotions were getting the better of him. He still felt justified, at least partly, because Rin's actions were borderline sexual assault, and if the physical scars weren't enough to testify, his emotional scars certainly were. He felt so betrayed, like the ground underneath him had been completely swept away, leaving him foundation-less and falling to rock bottom. He never wanted to see Rin again.

But what about Haruka? Had he not just done to Daichi the exact same things Rin did to him? Where was the justification in that?

_Hypocrite_, his mind whispered at him. _You're such a hypocrite_.

His breath caught, sending a clear gasp in the otherwise silent room. Haruka was certain Daichi heard, but the blond continued to ignore him.

What had he done? He had virtually forced himself on one of his friends who harbored no romantic feelings towards him. Even if Daichi did, in fact, like Haruka, the level of wrongness wasn't alleviated the least. Haruka was still as wrong as a day without the sun. A night without the moon. Where did his normal steadfastness go? When was it replaced by such a terrifying, evil thirst for revenge or liberation from Rin or whatever silly abstract notion he was chasing after? What had he become?

Did Rin feel the same way?

His stomach clenched as a sign of physical sickness, no longer just emotional.

What if this turmoil that Haruka was experiencing was exactly what Rin went through? What if, the entire time Haruka had been antagonizing the redhead and loathing the situation, that Rin antagonized himself and loathed the situation just as much? Haruka had accused Rin of being a rapist without knowing _anything _about the redhead's position. And, now that the haze of anger had disappeared from his mind, he could clearly remember that _Haruka _was the one who asked for sex, not Rin.

The entire time, Haruka had been the blameless victim and Rin the bane of the world's existence. But that was not true at all.

What had he done?

In what was the second most embarrassing display of emotion in his life - the first being his night with Rin - Haruka felt tears well up in his eyes. He swallowed thickly, loudly, hoping to force down the weak noises threatening to come out of his throat.

_I'm sorry, Rin_, he thought. _I'm so sorry._

* * *

"Matsuoka-senpai, where did you go today?"

When Rin didn't reply, the redhead could perfectly visualize Nitori shrinking away without even turning around. His roommate did that a lot. It made Rin feel bad.

The seat creaked mightily as Rin swiveled around to get a good look at Nitori. His roommate appeared the epitome of contrite, his head bowed, shoulders down, fingers clenched as he sat on the top bunk, forgotten homework to the side. Nitori's lack of self-confidence always rubbed Rin the wrong way, partly because he hated such weaknesses, partly because it reminded him of his own self-esteem. At the moment, however, it just made the boy more attractive for the question Rin had in mind.

"Nitori," he grunted, watching as the boy sat up like a meerkat. "You're friends with Nagisa, right?"

Nitori twiddled his fingers as he processed the query. "Yes, I am. Is there something you need with Nagisa-kun, senpai?"

Rin did not reply instantly, his mind whirring and churning as he evaluated his words.

"Nitori, you know I'm still mad for the shit you pulled with Nagisa, right?" he said slowly, eyes skimming cautiously over the boy's expression. Nitori blinked, the crestfallen doe-eyed look reappearing on his face.

"Yes, senpai. I'm sorry senpai."

Nitori looked so lost and dejected that Rin almost reconsidered his actions. His hesitation vanished in a blink when he assured himself that nothing bad would happen to Nitori, and, truth be told, Rin _was _kind of mad at him. But that wasn't what was at stake.

"I have a favor for you," Rin offered calmly. "If you do it, I'll put it behind us. What do you say?"

Nitori blinked, his eyes wide. "Is it illegal? Will I get in trouble?"

"Nothing like that," Rin assured. "Just something really simple."

"Like?"

"Pass a message to Haru. Tell him to meet me at the pool after practice on Tuesday."

Nitori's eyes remained wide, his mind no doubt racing at the speed of light to conclusions. "I - since you asked, Matsuoka-senpai, I'll do it. But..."

Nitori trailed off, his hands clasping together timidly.

"...why do you want to meet him?"

Rin sighed, turning away on his screechy swivel chair to look at the paper laid plainly on his desk. His finger tapped lightly on his pencil as his cogs turned with uncharacteristic prudence, the staccato of the action causing Nitori to shift uneasily and audibly behind him.

"To resolve things with Haru once and for all," he answered solemnly, the finality clear in his voice.

Nitori sensed the gravity of his words, making a soft noise of assent and returning to his bed, the conversation dropped. Rin refocused his attention on the paper before him, pencil scratching thoughtfully on the material. His grip tightened when he visualized dark hair and deep blue eyes.

Rin would never be able to move on without closure. Not in swimming, not in romance. It was unfortunate that Haru was never one to give closure.

But Rin planned to get that from Haru, even if he had to sell his soul to the devil in the process. He had already experienced hellish suffering once by Haru's hands, and nothing could faze him anymore.

The Saturday ended quietly, like the calm before the storm.

* * *

A/N: Ugh. Wednesdays. They're the busiest days of the week, made so much better by the fact I vomited three times on Tuesday. World, y u do this 2 me?

So this chapter was basically thinking, angst, thinking, angst, then Rin being a sneaky boy. One thing to note. I don't know when Haruka's grandmother passed away in the canon, so if anyone notices an inaccuracy in that respect, feel free to inform me and I'll fix it. Also, this story will be ending in... five chapters? I don't know the exact number. It could be more or less depending on how intense the scenes are.

Reviewers. Ugh, I still haven't compiled the names, and I don't think I'll have time for this chapter either. I'll try to add them in by a few hours.

Anyways, I'm done for now. Good morning/afternoon/evening/night.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Warning! Long, boring chapter.

* * *

Haruka woke when a large mass smashed into his chest and knocked the breath out of him.

"Rise and shine, Haru-chan!" squealed the large mass, thankfully rolling off his body as it did so. Haruka wheezed, pushing himself up when he no longer felt ready to kneel over from a heart attack.

The first thing he did upon regaining composure was glaring at Nagisa, who whistled with a deceivingly clueless expression. The second was jolting in surprise when he felt the sheets being pulled away from him. The third was scanning the room with confusion, taking in the formerly limp baggage filled to the brim with all their supplies. He blinked.

"We're leaving the resort, Haru," Makoto said, right on cue. He turned around again to take in Makoto folding up his sheets with a small smile.

"So quickly?" Haruka muttered, resting a hand on his forehead to ward off the rising headache. Loud shuffles made him realize that there were others in the room besides Makoto and Nagisa, namely Kou-san and Daichi. Rei was strangely absent.

"Rei's checking out at the reception desk," Makoto explained, again with impeccable timing. "And the tickets were for a one-night stay."

Nagisa chuckled in the background, attending to a bulging bag carefully. "Yeah. I sort of exaggerated the awesomeness of those tickets."

"No shit, Sherlock," Daichi muttered angrily in the background, kicking a wall and coughing when dust fell down from the ceiling. Kou-san was standing beside the door, her bag already in one hand and her phone being checked in the other.

Makoto tugged gently at Haruka's futon, and he got up so Makoto could fold it with the sheets. Haruka took the opportunity to examine Daichi intently - he was fiddling with the strap of his bag as he stood gloomily in the corner of the room - before the door loudly opened and revealed Rei.

"The next train leaves in fifteen minutes," he said tersely. "We need to leave in five minutes."

There was a collective hum of acknowledgement as Makoto finished rolling up the futon and putting it away with a satisfying flourish. Haruka searched for his supplies with a yawn, just to realize quite suddenly that his bag was already packed to the brim. The work of mother-hen Makoto, no doubt. He walked over to haul the bag over his shoulders, ignoring how the action shortened the distance between him and Daichi.

"I'm going to check the other room for anything we missed!" Nagisa declared, disappearing from the room without a word. Makoto sent Haruka a pointed look.

"I'll go, too," the brunet said. "We'll be leaving you three to talk."

Makoto disappeared behind the door with one last pointed look at Haruka, which Haruka pretended not to notice. The click of the door snapping shut echoed as Kou-san, Daichi, and Haruka were left standing in the room in silence. Kou-san appeared completely uninterested as she stared intently at her phone, leaving Daichi or Haruka to initiate a conversation. Haruka caved in, breaking the silence with a cough.

"How did you sleep last night?" he asked awkwardly, the experience of instigating the conversation making him uncomfortable. Kou-san hummed a noncommittal noise that meant anything from _horrible _to _fantastic_, while Daichi ignored him pointedly.

"Daichi." The blond flinched at being addressed, his grip around his bag tightening. "Are you okay?"

Kou-san's eyes flickered up slightly at Haruka's words while Daichi refused to move a single muscle. Haruka sighed, dropping the topic.

Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei burst into the room right before the awkward silence pervaded for too long, cleaving through the haze like a chainsaw. They motioned frantically, hands waving in an indecipherable gesture.

"Come on! We need to leave now! Turns out the train leaves in _ten _minutes, not fifteen!"

Their eyes widened, the previous gloom forgotten in favor of the urgent situation before them. They ran out of the resort, bags held sloppily in tow, boarding the metro right before the train's doors closed. As the train started, Haruka stared at the window, at the scenery blurring by and the guilty blue orbs reflected on the glass.

* * *

"Haru. Haru! This is our stop. We're going to miss it. Haru!"

Haruka turned away from the window to behold Makoto shaking his shoulder urgently and, beyond the brunet, the stationary landscape as the train slowed to a halt. The door _whirred _as it opened, and people milled to and from the familiar scenery of Haruka's and Makoto's neighborhood.

Makoto shook his shoulder again. The stream of people exiting and entering was shrinking, and Haruka knew the door would be closing soon. To his left, Nagisa and Rei were sleeping, the former resting his head on the latter's shoulder, and to his right, Kou-san was rising drowsily from the commotion. Daichi was on the other side, arms crossed and looking rather standoffish. Haruka glanced quickly between Kou-san and Daichi, feeling a resolve settle deeply in him.

"You go ahead, Makoto," he answered quietly. "I'll go ahead with everyone else."

Makoto's eyes widened, but he jolted when he realized the door was about to close. He ran out of the train and onto the platform, turning back as the door closed with a determined expression on his face.

_Good luck_, it said. _Whatever you're doing, I'll root for you_.

The train began moving, and beside Haruka, Kou-san yawned loudly.

"Wasn't that your stop?" she muttered, looking at Daichi, then Haruka, then at the obliviously sleeping duo.

"Yeah. Why didn't you get off, water freak?" Daichi growled, his body language hostile as he glared at Haruka. Haruka looked at him tiredly.

"Look, I've reflected on-"

"Oh, can it, merman," Daichi muttered, turning away. Kou-san scowled, the displeased expression breaking her previous lethargy.

"Don't talk to Haruka-senpai like that," she chided sternly, but with a yawn at the edge of her voice. "What did he do to deserve your disrespect?"

Daichi said nothing, swiveling his head to look out of the window. Kou-san rubbed her eyes, the alertness slowly seeping back into her eyes. They shone brightly, radiantly, and it felt so right to see those flaming red eyes. Haruka felt something wrench his heart, closing his eyes to banish the image away.

"Do you mind if I walk you home, Kou-san?" Haruka asked softly. He felt Daichi tense, sending guilt piercing through his gut, but he ignored the sensation because he had something he needed to resolve. Kou-san blinked, those the beautiful redness of her eyes gleaming with questioning.

"Of course, Haruka-senpai," she answered. Daichi crossed his legs, and Haruka could feel the anger and jealousy radiating from the bully. He sighed.

The next stop was Daichi's, and the blond left with a hateful glare at Haruka and an excessive effort to not meet Kou-san's eye. Nagisa was next, and Haruka and Kou-san had to forcefully yank him away from Rei's shoulder to make him leave. Kou-san's neighborhood shortly followed, and they waved goodbye to Rei as they exited the train. They began walking, Kou-san leading and Haruka trailing slightly behind the girl, observing her carefully.

A silence settled over them, not quite comfortable but not tense or gloomy like the ones that dominated the past few days. Haruka was careful to keep Kou-san away from the road, making sure to pull her to the side whenever a biker passed an unfortunately-placed puddle of water and splashed at them. Kou-san accepted his efforts without protest, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It certainly _felt _natural, but Haruka didn't know why.

It hit him like a grand piano dropped from a thirty-story building. It felt natural because Haruka had done this before with Kou-san. Maybe not something as specific as protecting her from splashes of water, but the dynamic was the same. It was Haruka being the nice guy and Kou-san following along.

Another stab of guilt. How could he have forgotten?

Kou-san was apparently thinking of the same thing. "This reminds me of when we dated," she commented quietly.

Haruka nodded in agreement, hyper-aware of the girl beside him. "Too bad it didn't work out."

Kou-san lowered her head slightly, and Haruka felt her desire to end the conversation. Haruka ignored it, stopping abruptly and turning to face the girl with a somber expression.

"Kou," he began. The girl flinched at the lack of honorifics. "We need to talk."

Kou-san remained silent, not agreeing, not disagreeing. Haruka continued.

"When you broke up with me, you said that I liked Rin, not you. I've spent a long time thinking about that."

He paused, taking Kou-san's lack of reaction as encouragement.

"That's half true. I wasn't lying when I told you I liked you at the aquarium. I wasn't lying when I said I didn't like Rin. And all those compliments were real."

Haruka's tone lowered.

"But. You were also right. The things I liked you for - I saw your brother in you. I don't think I liked you for you. And - sorry - you were right. I did end up liking Rin. I love him, actually. What you heard about what he did to me - I'm the one at fault because I enjoyed it. I'm really sorry, Kou."

Haruka could not bring himself to look at Kou-san's face, to see her reaction to his words. It was painfully silent, like a poison gradually killing his body one cell at a time.

"Was that supposed to be news?"

Haruka flinched, eyes glued adamantly to the pavement between their feet. He heard a sigh from the girl.

"You're just as oblivious as my brother," the girl continued, annoyance seeping into her voice. "I can't believe I fell for you in the first place, even knowing that you..."

She trailed off. She didn't pick up the sentence, instead releasing another sigh.

"Please don't worry about it, Haruka." Haruka flinched at the lack of honorifics. "I've moved on, and I'm certain you have, too. You didn't decide to walk me home just to talk about this, did you? There's something else on your mind. And stop staring at the ground. My eyes are up here."

Haruka looked up obediently, meeting her gaze for a fleeting second before the guilt made him tear his sight away again. He fingered the hem of his shirt, despising the feeling of self-consciousness that danced in him.

"I messed up again," Haruka confessed, feeling heat travel to his face. "I screwed up my relationship with Daichi. Also my relationship with Rin. I don't know what I was thinking."

"And what do you want me to tell you?"

For once, Haruka found himself gazing into Kou-san's deep eyes. "I don't know," he said honestly.

Crimson eyes. Hues of pink and maroon dancing in the orbs. They stared at him analytically, pointedly, and Haruka felt the shame redden his cheeks.

"Well, I don't know what to say," she replied calmly and evenly. "If you want me to give you empty comfort, I can do that. If you want me to tell you about them, I can also do that. But if _you _can't sort out your thoughts and tell me exactly what you want, nothing I say will help you."

Kou-san's words were like a harsh slap on the cheek. Haruka almost laughed out loud. The girl was so reliable with reality checks.

"So let's try this again. What do you want me to tell you? What do you hope to achieve with this? Why are you doing this?"

Haruka closed his eyes.

Floating on the surface of his consciousness, Haruka could only see murky water and vague outlines. He dove deeper, his trademark dolphin kick propelling him each step of the way, searching for that tiny pearl of want that he buried away deep into his consciousness, at the rawest point of his mind. He exhaled shakily.

"I want to ask for your forgiveness," he said, eyes closed and hands grasped tightly on the figurative pearl. "So I can move on."

Silence. One second, two seconds, then three seconds.

Then Kou-san said the three magic words.

"I forgive you."

Haruka felt a ton disappear from his shoulders.

For the rest of the walk, Kou-san explained to Haruka her relationships with Daichi and Rin.

"I mean, seriously!" she gushed, hands thrown passionately into the air. "Onii-chan was so much calmer when he was younger. Really smart too, actually, although he thought school was stupid and never did his homework. He used to always tutor me in math because I was horrible at multiplying and dividing fractions, but he always got distracted or lost interest within a few minutes. Onii-chan had the attention span of a goldfish!"

"That sounds just like him."

"Yeah! It got better as time passed by, because he started taking school seriously. He has really good grades now, actually! Top ten in all his classes, if I'm not mistaken. Then again, I don't talk to him very much these days, so chances are I'm mistaken."

"Do you miss your brother?"

"Of course I do. He's my brother. I missed him when he went to Australia, and I still miss him since he's cooped himself up in Samezuka and won't even come home to visit. Our mom's really worried about him, and we try to contact him as much as possible, but he always replies with short answers. Yes. No. Don't care. It's so frustrating, especially how much he seems to obsess over you."

"..."

"I hope I didn't bring up a sore point, but it really did upset me because he became so angry all the time. Back then, the only times he became so angry were usually when Daichi-senpai was involved. It was kind of sweet, now that I think of it, that Onii-chan was so protective of me. I guess I sort of conditioned Onii-chan to be angry at Daichi-senpai, so I can understand why he'd punch him. Makes me feel kind of bad, instigating this sort of thing."

"Do you forgive Daichi?"

"Huh? Well, yes. He stopped doing it around the time I got to middle school. Actually, he started avoiding me altogether. I think he regrets bullying me. I personally think it's stupid to hold grudges against someone for something they did as a kid because we were all stupid and immature when we were children. I know I was. But at the same time, I don't really know what to do when I talk to him, so I guess I revert to being angry at him because that was all I knew how to do, really."

"What do you think about him?"

"Daichi-senpai? He's okay. Doesn't have any pecs or biceps, so that's a big no-no, but he's okay. Well, I guess he's gone from okay to good on my scale since he's friends with you, now. I really didn't expect that from him, especially since he bullied you in class as well."

"Maybe he bullies the people he likes."

"Hah, I really don't think so. I'm fairly certain Daichi genuinely hated me when we were younger."

They stopped in front of Kou-san's house, turning to face each other. Kou-san smiled softly.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Haruka-senpai."

Haruka smiled back, the déjà vu nagging at the edge of his consciousness.

"You too, Kou-san."

"Kou."

"What?"

"You can call me Kou. Heck, you can even call me Gou. Whichever you prefer."

Haruka blinked, feeling the familiar warmth of embarrassment bubble in his chest.

"In that case, you can call me Haruka, Kou."

"Okay. Haruka."

"Yes?"

"Come closer."

He did, stepping closer and not quite knowing what to expect. Kou suddenly reached up on her tippy-toes, threw her arms around Haruka's shoulders, and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for today," she whispered into his ear. Haruka leaned down, letting the girl rest on her feet and wrapping his arms around her as well.

"Listen, Kou," he murmured quietly into her ear, his voice wavering slightly. "I'm really sorry for what happened."

"Oh, shut it, Haruka," she muttered flippantly, but with playfulness tinging her voice. "We've already gone through this once. And please, I saw the development with Onii-chan a hundred miles away."

"That obvious?"

"Yes."

They pulled away from each other, chuckling heartily, before Kou-san turned and walked to the door. She looked back one last time to wave happily at Haruka before disappearing, but not with the finality of the first time. As Haruka turned to walk to his own house, he felt a bubble expanding at his chest, pushing against his ribs and filling him up with a strange feeling before it popped.

Hope poured into him. He walked on, feeling optimistic for once and resolving to talk to Rin, to tell him everything.

His phone sounded, interrupting his train of thought. His eyes widened when he saw what was on the screen.

_Rin wants to meet on Tuesday after practice. Look for me, and I'll guide you there._

_-Nitori_

Well, Haruka thought as he pocketed his phone. The universe had an uncanny sense of timing.

* * *

A/N: You know that feeling you get when you're so close to an ending and your completely sure that it's going to be anticlimactic and/or a disappointment? Hmm? Me? I don't know what you're talking about, reader.

Anyways. I'm pretty unsatisfied with this chapter because it was so uneventful. The previous chapter was also kind of uneventful, and it sort of irks me to have two boring chapters in a row. And Rin. The lack of Rin is frustrating in this chapter. Aaahh, the troubles of writing fan fiction when you have no idea where the story's going.

Reviewers. You're multiplying like rabbits. Thanks to Ldrmas, FallenAngel1129, HavenRose, Animecherryblossem33, CapturedByNoodles, Elvent, Kinkylittlewolf, Narutopokefan, Mplunkett, Syn'ph, imperativa, curosityisn'tcurious, PaperChild, Ko-Sensei, HappyDrageneel, the-l0llip0p, PinkSugarDust, pennamesareforfancypeople, Nami1415, OMFG MY FEELS (I lol'ed), and Say-It for reviewing. I heart you all very, very much.

That's goodbye for now. Until next time.

(And thankfully, I didn't die from whatever bout of sickness befell me. REJOICE.)


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Warning! Lots of cursing! Possibly offensive, too. Of course, I, as the author, don't intend to offend _anyone _reading this, and it doesn't necessarily reflect my own views.

* * *

At seven in the morning, muffled splashes and muted whistles from the Samezuka pool building pierced the early morning haze.

Water churned as an arm pierced through the pool's surface with the force of a torpedo, parting rhythmically for the body blazing through its wake, jostling and moving with every kick, every stroke that Rin made. He sped through the water, streamlined and quick with practice, headed straight to the pool wall with shark-like tenacity. His hand slammed into it loudly before Rin rose from the water, panting heavily.

"Good job, Matsuoka-senpai!" Nitori yelled, his hands firmly holding a timer. Beside the kohai, Mikoshiba nodded respectfully, but his eyes remained skeptically fixed on Rin's expression. Rin ignored them, taking a moment to catch his breath before pulling himself out of the water.

Nitori ran up to him excitedly. "Matsuoka-senpai, that was great!"

"Impressive," Mikoshiba applauded, tilting his head slightly towards Rin. "You're very dedicated to swimming, even when you're suspended from the swim team."

"Thank you, captain," Rin returned evenly, per protocol. He noted the challenge in Mikoshiba's tone, careful to smooth his voice.

Mikoshiba regarded him cautiously, with the squinty look that he always assumed when in the process of judging a person's character. The captain was surprisingly perceptive in that respect, and when he directed that critical expression at Rin, Rin could almost physically feel each layer of his skin being peeled back by way of telekinesis. Nonetheless, Rin held his back straight and his expression blank, deceptively composed in spite of the anxiety that was eating at him.

_Come on, come on_, he chanted mentally as if it was a mantra of good luck. _Come on, Mikoshiba. Have mercy on me_._  
_

"Your diligence is remarkable," Mikoshiba finally said, his trademark grin resuming widely on his face. Rin felt his lungs lock in place, trapping his breath inside. "I'll consider ending your suspension tomorrow."

Both Nitori and Rin were frozen in a silence of disbelief before it broke from Nitori's jubilant whoop and Rin's relieved sigh. They exchanged excited expressions, very uncharacteristic on Rin's part, before a more in-character grimace assumed itself on Rin's face when Nitori hugged him tightly.

"I'm so happy, senpai!" he blubbered, saliva dripping onto Rin's arm in his display of emotion. "We can finally swim together again!"

Rin made a noise that could be interpreted as agreement, prying his roommate's limbs away from his body. Mikoshiba joined the fray, throwing his arms around the two of them with a barking laugh.

"I was worried about you for a moment, Matsuoka, but it looks like everything's fine," Mikoshiba said, the impossibly wide smile etched deeply in his face. "I'm glad! Welcome back to the team, Matsuoka! And also, can you give me your sister's phone number?"

"Forget it," Rin snapped with a scowl, and both Mikoshiba and Nitori laughed in response. Mikoshiba pulled his arms away, slapping both of them heartily on the back as he did so.

"I have to get going," he said, grin still wide, but both Rin and Nitori could hear the slight regret in his voice. "You two should go, too. Class is starting in ten minutes."

"Yes, captain," they saluted respectfully. Mikoshiba exited the pool building with one last laugh, leaving Nitori and Rin in an electrified silence. Neither of them dared to say a word, despite the tell-tale trembling of Nitori's shoulders that gave away how bottled up he was, until Mikoshiba disappeared completely from their line of sight.

At that instant, the cork on Nitori's figurative bottle blew away with the force of an erupting volcano, and he shouted victoriously into the empty pool. The echoes of his voice made a canon to accompany his emotional act of hugging Rin, who cringed but otherwise let the younger boy indulge in his happiness a bit longer.

"We did it, Matsuoka-senpai!" he gushed, light blue eyes twinkling merrily. "It's going to work!"

Rin grunted, trying to peel the younger boy's limbs away. "I certainly hope so."

"No, it will!" Nitori exclaimed, looking genuinely insulted at the suggestion that it wouldn't. "It has to! Or else all of this will be for nothing. This is your chance, senpai!"

Rin exhaled, releasing a puff of air exasperatedly as he felt his innards being squeezed out by Nitori's bear hug. "You seem happier about this than I am."

"You're just not taking it seriously enough, senpai!" Nitori huffed, finally releasing his hold on Rin - thankfully - to cross his arms with a frown. "This is your chance to resolve everything. You and Nanase-san can be friends again."

Rin nodded lightly, letting his roommate go through his throes of victory in peace. Nitori was right in that respect. It _was _an opportunity to resolve everything, and it certainly was a way for Rin to fix his relationship with Haruka. Not in the botched, piecemeal approach he had been taking, but rather in one fell swoop that was too quick to be painful.

Nitori was also wrong. Rin was taking the issue very, very seriously. It was, after all, his way to move on from Haru.

Sensations suddenly flashed through Rin's body all at once. His eyes could almost see those attentive blue eyes. His fingers burned as if they could feel Haru. His nose itched as if it was buried in Haru's hair. His ears twitched as if Haru was calling out his name. His mouthed watered as if he could taste the contours of Haru's mouth. His chest constricted as if Haru was physically squeezing his heart, physically squeezing the life out of him.

Rin would miss this, whatever their nebulous fling was. But he needed to move on because Haruka already moved on.

"Oh, Matsuoka-senpai!" Rin snapped out of his thoughts, blinking confusedly as he returned to reality. "I almost forgot!"

Rin looked up just in time to see Nitori searching his tracksuit's pockets. He pulled out something shiny, and Rin's mouth fell open.

"I underestimated you," Rin finally forced out. Nitori just grinned widely, almost smugly.

"I nabbed it from the captain," he explained, dangling the shiny object back and forth. "They're the keys to every door in this building."

"You're unbelievable," Rin restated, catching the keys as Nitori tossed them gently at him.

"You'll thank me later," Nitori returned, winking at him merrily.

"I'll just thank you now," Rin offered with a shudder. "How about that?"

"Hmm. How about no?"

Rin could now understand perfectly why Nagisa conspired with Nitori.

The warning bell rang suddenly, startling both of them into undignified jumps. Rin cursed while Nitori made an _eep _sound, and both scurried away to slip their uniforms over their swim wear and run to class, but not before the tardy bell rang. Rin's school day began with a loud clamor as their draconian teacher yelled at them for being late, but it didn't faze Rin the slightest._  
_

If anything, it only made him more eager for Tuesday to come.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Haruka's classroom, it was silent.

Too silent.

Not a single student in the classroom made a peep as Ama-sensei droned on and on. They held their breaths, clearly sensing something amiss. Haruka felt like sighing, but he didn't dare shatter the fragile silence. The only sounds in the room were the furious clicking of a pen towards the front of the room.

Daichi.

It was a habit, one that the entire class learned quickly. It usually only happened after the blond received a detention or got a bad grade, and it was never a good sign of Daichi's mood. Coupled with the fact that the blond had completely brushed past Haruka that morning, it didn't take much for his peers to sense a sourness between the resident asshole and the resident merman. No one said anything, fearful of pushing the unspoken red button.

Looking at the jittery mess of nerves that was Daichi, Haruka felt yesterday's resolve swirling tightly in his stomach. He had to apologize to Daichi. If Haruka wanted to make up with Rin, he needed to apologize to Daichi first.

When the bell rang for study hall, Daichi jolted up from his seat and muttered something about using the restroom, streaking past his posse without a second glance. A delicate second after the bully disappeared from sight, the class released a collective sigh, and its hushed whispers returned to its usual obnoxious volume. Makoto leaned towards Haruka, his eyebrow raised skeptically.

"I take it you haven't made up with Daichi-san?" he asked lightly. "For whatever it is that you've done to upset him."

"No," Haruka confirmed, his eyes fixed on the threshold that Daichi left through. "I need to use the restroom."

Makoto smiled as Haruka got out of his seat.

The classroom's liveliness paused as Haruka made his way out of the room, but when he closed the door behind him, he could hear the loudness resume. He ignored it, scanning from one end of the hall to the other for any clues of Daichi's trail. He looked just in time to see the sleeve of a uniform disappear around the corner to his right. Haruka rushed after it.

It was like a spy movie. One of those cliché action flicks that guys watched to avoid cliché chick flicks. Haruka found himself focusing all of his brainpower towards making his footsteps lighter, in time with Daichi's, and keeping a constant eye on the back of the blond's head, making sure he stayed a good ten meters away. Only when Daichi began plodding down the stairs did Haruka begin to suspect where he was headed.

They passed some restrooms, taking a sharp left towards the freshman hall. Obnoxiously loud classrooms came and went, one of them baring the tell-tale tenor of Nagisa's voice and an exasperated yell from Rei, before Daichi finally stopped at the door farthest into the hall. Haruka ducked around a corner when the blond turned to face the door. He watched as the bully lifted his hand, resting it on the handle before he pulled away suddenly, pivoting away from the classroom jerkily and heading straight to where Haruka was.

Shit.

Haruka began whistling and staring intently at the wall, ignoring the footsteps that halted abruptly when they turned the corner. A finger traced the patterns of the plaster. How fascinating. They looked like clouds.

"What the fuck are you doing here, water freak?"

Haruka looked at Daichi with what he hoped was a convincing expression of surprise. "Fancy seeing you here. I was just going to the restroom."

"On the first floor."

"The second floor restrooms are dirty."

It was actually a very true fact, something Haruka discovered the day he attempted to change in one. Nonetheless, Daichi didn't calm down the slightest, instead puffing up with anger.

"Bullshit, Haruka fucking Nanase," Daichi snarled, a wild mix of anger, jealousy, and hurt flashing through his face. "Why are you following me? Planning to kiss-rape me in some shady corner of the school?"

Haruka forced down the anger that rose up with the accusation, making his tone as smooth as possible. "I came to apologize."

Daichi turned away, shoulders stiff and arms crossed. "I don't want to hear it, freak. I don't want to hear any more of your bullshit."

"I'm really sorry," he said with as much sincerity as possible. "I wasn't in my right mind. I didn't mean to do it."

"Yeah, 'cause that was such an accident," Daichi muttered. Haruka could see Daichi's toes curl and uncurl in his shoes. "I fucking trusted you, freak. I thought you and I were bros. I thought you were helping me with Gou. I thought you understood all the shit I go through just because of those stupid-ass mistakes I made as a kid."

He turned around, his eyes blazing with betrayal.

"But you don't. You violated me. You don't give a damn about my troubles. And you lied about breaking up with Gou. You stole my fucking crush away from me under my nose even though you _knew _I liked her, and now you're giving me a pity party. You dirty little liar!"

Haruka's eyes were wide, the misunderstandings hitting him like freight trains. He tried to open his mouth to correct Daichi, but a snarl from the other stopped him.

"No. Stop. I don't want to hear it, you rapist. And I thought you were different from Rin. Maybe that's why you enjoyed being fucked by him so much."

Haruka recoiled, the words piercing deeply into him. Daichi turned away, about to walk away, but he sent one last glare at Haruka.

"And don't worry your pretty face, Haru-chan. I won't tell a soul. Probably the real fucking reason you came down here to talk to me."

With that, Daichi brushed past him roughly, leaving Haruka to stumble slightly at both the physical and emotional push.

Daichi didn't come back to school that day.

* * *

Daichi didn't show up on Tuesday either, not for school, not for the joint practice. Which was a good thing, actually, because Haruka was currently staring at red hair and red eyes with disbelief.

"You're suspended," Haruka managed to force out. Rin smirked wryly.

"Joined the prison swim team. Got out on good behavior." He chuckled, showing off that sharkish sneer of his. "Believe that."

Rin reached a hand out, almost as if he intended to pat Haruka's shoulder, but his arm was suddenly pushed aside by an angry Makoto.

"Not so fast." Makoto crossed his arms, looming over Rin's cocky expression. "I don't approve of this."

"I'm afraid you'll have to stay away from Haruka-senpai," Rei added.

"Rin-chan, maybe you should go somewhere else," Nagisa followed.

They stood firmly between Haruka and Rin, almost in a practiced formation. Rin took a step back, clearly recognizing the trouble of what he was messing with.

While his friends glowered at Rin, Haruka exchanged a glance with Rin, whose somber eyes didn't match the cocky grin plastered onto his face. The look was brief, ephemeral, but it exchanged so many unspoken words that it almost knocked Haruka's breath away.

He needed to get to Rin. That was what they communicated. If the thought wasn't already cemented into Haruka's brain, it certainly was now.

His eyes moved away to meet Nitori's, then Kou's, both of them donning careful, determined expressions. They exchanged a silent nod, and just like that, the alliance was set in place. He turned back to face Rin, eyes steeled.

He would get to Rin. He would get to Rin and resolve the shit-fest that was their relationship.

But first, he needed to get through his own friends.

* * *

A/N: Meep. Meep. Oh, that's the sound of my vocal functions regressing to that of an animal's due to a busy, busy day. No biggie.

Uh, yeah. I don't have much to say about this chapter other than the fact that it's shorter than the others. About 2,500 words, give or take, but hopefully it progressed the plot sufficiently enough. OH, also, if you caught that reference I put near the end of this chapter, I love you.

Thank you to imperativa, Elvent, Kinkylittlewolf, Ldrmas, Mplunkett, PaperChild, HappyDrageneel, curosityisn'tcurious, Anon, pennamesareforfancypeople, FallenAngel1129, Psycho, Syn'ph, Rogue, PinkSugarDust, Animecherryblossem33 for reviewing. I can't believe how far this story progressed. I have two stories planned to come after this one, and I'll post some information regarding those two in the A/N following the last chapter of the story. I think I'll let you guys/gals vote on which story I should work on first. That's not relevant at the moment, though, so whatever.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Warning! Embarrassingly bad diversionary tactics!

* * *

"Warm ups, everyone!"

Mikoshiba's voice rang loud and clear, snapping everyone out of the stand-off and reminding them exactly why they were at the practice. Makoto was the first to walk off, arms still crossed and frown etched deeply on his face, but it set off a chain reaction, breaking up the huddle completely. Rin walked away from the Iwatobi swim club, gathering with his school mates and not attempting to approach Haruka again.

Haruka leaned himself against a wall, arms crossed as he watched the first-years go through warm ups. Kou sidled up to him, careful not to disturb Makoto's intent observation of Rin. She motioned at him subtly, and Haruka leaned an ear towards her.

"How are we going to let you talk to my brother?" she whispered quietly.

Haruka's eyes rested on Makoto's face, taking in his profile before flitting his gaze away as if it never happened. He reached up a hand to touch Kou's shoulder lightly, pleadingly.

"Distract them," he whispered. "I don't know how, but get them away from here after practice. I'm going to stay after to talk with Rin."

"That's quite a bit of pressure you're putting on me."

"Go talk to Nitori." He pointed at the gray-haired boy standing on the starting block, next to dive. "Or talk to Mikoshiba. He'll bend over backwards to please you."

Kou slapped his shoulder lightly just as Nitori dove into the water. "You make it sound so creepy."

Haruka reached a hand up to pull her earlobe gently. "Just telling it as I see it."

Nitori was the last of the first-years to swim, so when he emerged, the second-years made their way to the starting blocks with reactions ranging from grumbles to excited whispers. Rin stood in the same line that Haruka was in, separated from Haruka by a protective Makoto and a few other swimmers. Haruka's skin itched to move closer to Rin, but the stern expression on Makoto's face foretold difficulties.

The line shortened steadily, and soon Haruka found himself standing on the starting block, waiting for the Samezuka swimmer to return to the pool wall. He glanced to the side as he did so, watching Kou as she whispered something into Mikoshiba's ear with Nitori standing to the side.

How proactive of her. Haruka needed to thank her later.

He felt a familiar prickling sensation at the back of his neck as he prepared to dive, the one he experienced whenever someone stared at him intently. It didn't take much brain power to realize who it was. He dove into the water, angle perfect but mind elsewhere.

What was with Rin's sudden interest in his swimming? True, their competition in swimming was what kept them together, even after years of separation and bitter feelings, but this was sudden, especially in the face of everything else that had happened. Rin having sex with him. Rin temporarily losing his drive to swim. Was he trying to return things to the way they were before their stupid little deal happened?

Haruka was barely aware of hitting the opposite wall and flying back towards the start, his head muddled up by the conflicting emotions inside of him. Was Rin trying to bury whatever it was between them? Was he trying to pretend it never happened, that everything was perfectly fine? Haruka felt a deep dread settling inside of him despite the logical part of his brain that told him he should be happy. In spite of everything, Haruka didn't want to forget.

He loved Rin.

That had happened, and nothing would erase it from his past. Hell, maybe he was _still_ in love with Rin.

Regardless, he thought as he rose from the water and Makoto dove in, Haruka would not change his resolve. He'd been rejected once. He could take being rejected again.

Haruka pulled himself out, brushing Rin's shoulder ever so slightly as he made his way back to where Kou was. The contact electrified his nerves, and it reminded him of how much it excited him, how much he yearned for Rin when his head wasn't clouded by anger and jealousy.

He was definitely not letting go without a fight.

When Rin dove into the water, his form surprisingly practiced despite being suspended from the swim team, Haruka tried to analyze him with as much vigor as the redhead had done towards him. Haruka tried to instill that goosebump-ey tingling that Rin never failed to give him. He tried it, if only to look for any clues that Haruka affected Rin as much as Rin affected him, because that was their problem. They were close as kids, but now, they knew practically nothing about each other.

Rin rose from the pool, the water running almost temptingly down his chiseled muscles. Haruka felt the yearning intensify. Rin walked over to the opposite wall, leaning against it in a position that almost mirrored Haruka's. They shot each other glances as the second-years finished their warm ups, stopping only when Nagisa and Rei pulled Haruka away, almost as if in a effort to separate them.

"Practice relay!" Mikoshiba shouted, interrupting whatever conversation Nagisa and Rei were having. "The tournament is coming up! We need as much practice as we can get!"

More grumbles. The swimmers arranged themselves into their relay teams, Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, and Haruka standing at the left-most starting block. Haruka ignored how Rin stood beside him, at the line adjacent to Haruka's. They were both fourth in line, and consequently, they would be racing each other.

Makoto was first, swimming with his trademark yet uncharacteristic savageness, returning in a close second. Rin and Haruka said nothing. Nagisa hit the turn, barely keeping their position. Still, they said nothing. When Nagisa returned and Rei dove into the water, their line dropped to a narrow third, Rin smirked. The redhead's line was the one that had overtaken Haruka's, and the competitive glee in his eyes made Haruka anxious.

Was his fear coming true? Was Rin trying to bury everything with swimming again?

Now, Haruka was next in line. He stepped onto the starting block slowly, eyes tracing Rei's path as he made his way through the water. There was a solid few meters between his shoulder's and Rin's, but Haruka could almost feel the fiery sensation of skin brushing skin. They sank to their starting positions as both Rei and the Samezuka swimmer headed back towards them.

"You'll want to try your best," Rin suddenly said, the words drifting far enough to only hit Haruka's ears. He staggered slightly, whipping his head around to look confusedly at the redhead.

The swimmers were nearing them. Rin reached a hand up to pull back the elastic of his goggles.

"Take this opportunity to practice," he said, a Cheshire-like grin spreading on his face. "You'll need it later."

Rei's hand slammed into the pool's wall just as Haruka began to speak, and he hesitated long enough to see Rin dive into the water before he did. He threw himself sloppily into the pool, grimacing at the lack of technique but wanting desperately not to fall behind Rin.

_Take this opportunity to practice. You'll need it later._

What did that mean? What was he planning?

Haruka threw all his body's force into spearing through the water, ignoring the growing itch of burning calories. Whatever Rin had in mind, it would be no different. Haruka came to resolve things with Rin, not to stir up trouble, and if swimming was part of the equation - so be it.

He flipped around, feet hitting the opposite wall firmly before propelling himself forward, but Rin had already made the turn. He cursed. Rin's kicks had always been the game changer in their races, even without a strong head start for the redhead. A blinding lapse of intense swimming later, Haruka rose from the water, a good few seconds before Rin. He panted, disoriented by the situation, and Rin just sent a dazzling smirk his way.

"What's distracting you, Haru?" Haruka flinched as Rin purred his voice in that sultry tone, his cheeks growing hot. "Hopefully, this won't happen again."

"It won't," Haruka returned shakily, turning away to hide the redness rising on his cheeks. "I'll try harder next time."

Rin grinned. "No, it's fine as it is."

Haruka jerked his head back to face Rin, the question etched deeply in his face. A hand on his shoulder suddenly snapped him out of his train of thought, and he looked up to see Makoto smiling at him kindly, but with a slight steeliness in his expression.

"Haru, the other swimmers are waiting," he said gently. Sure enough, a line of slightly peeved swimmers hovered around him. Huh. He must've missed Mikoshiba's next command when he was talking to Rin.

He got out of the pool slowly, feeling exhaustion from both physical activity and mental strain. As he took the moment to rest, Rin's words echoed in his head, like the passing of a thousand sirens.

_It's fine as it is_.

One of Rin's peeves against Haruka was that he, untruthfully, did not take Rin seriously as a rival. That one line contradicted everything he gathered from Rin from their misguided rivalry. Was Rin moving on, not just with their weird fling, but also with their rivalry?

Was he planning to cut ties with Haruka altogether?

The rest of the practice passed without event, and soon, it was time to meet with Rin.

* * *

"Tachibana-san, come on! It'll be fun!"

"Yeah! Loosen up a bit, will you?"

"Please, Makoto-senpai? _Please__?_"

Makoto stared, unable to quite take in the sight of Nitori, Mikoshiba, and Kou staring at him with hands clasped, eyes wide, and shoujo sparkles thickening the air. He smiled hesitantly, sending a pleading glance towards Nagisa and Rei, and, when that was fruitless, to Haru. His old friend just looked at him with a shrug.

"I want mackerel pizza," he deadpanned lightly. Makoto grimaced.

"We don't have to go out just to eat mackerel pizza," he tried to reason. "We can make some at home."

"But Makoto-senpai, that's not a celebration at all! You can't just be like that when it's Nitori's birthday!"

Makoto's eyes landed on Nitori's, grimacing again at the kitten-like blue eyes gazing up at him with pleading. He always had a weak spot for kittens.

"I'm sorry, Nitori-san," he said gently. "It's getting late, and we need to return as soon as possible."

Makoto's gaze flickered towards Rin for the briefest moment, taking in the redhead stretching in front of the pool. A strange feeling of bitterness and protectiveness washed over him. There was _no way_ Makoto would let Haruka stay around Rin any more than necessary.

"But it's Nitori's birthday!" Kou returned, petulance overflowing from her voice. Makoto grimaced for a third time. He didn't remember Kou being quite so insistent with her opinions.

"It's Nitori's birthday?" Nagisa echoed. His eyes were wide and curious as he looked at Nitori. "I thought your birthday was-"

"It's an early birthday party!" Nitori suddenly exclaimed, startling Nagisa into silence. "My birthday's tomorrow, but I wanted it to be today because I could eat out with my Iwatobi friends."

Rei pushed up his glasses. "Why didn't you just wait until Thursday? We'd be seeing each other anyways, and there's usually less homework on Thursdays."

"I like Tuesdays!" Nitori virtually screeched. Everyone lapsed into a silence, and in the background, Makoto swore he heard an exasperated snort from Rin. "I-I mean, it's the first day of the week that I get to see you guys, and I wanted to make sure it's a surprise! Because on Thursday you might've already found out about my birthday!"

An awkward silence blanketed over the group, and Makoto wasn't sure whether to comment on Nitori's claims or not. He grimaced yet again, mustering the friendliest smile he could for fear of hurting the boy's feelings.

"I'm really sorry, Nitori-san," he said with the delicacy of a dandelion. "But I don't think we can make-"

"If you're worried about Matsuoka, he's staying after to practice his strokes," Mikoshiba intervened suddenly, making everyone startle. Nitori and Kou quickly shot the captain surprised looks, but he seemed to take no notice. Makoto hesitated for a moment before laughing weakly.

"Oh, I'm not worried about Rin-"

"Ah, drop the excuses, Tachibana," Mikoshiba waved away playfully. "I understand fully. I mean, _I'm _the one who suspended him in the first place. It's all right to worry about your team's well-being."

Makoto blinked, his cheeks heating up slightly with shame as he bowed humbly before the other. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Mikoshiba-san."

Mikoshiba laughed, slapping him on the back. "Oh, drop the formalities, Tachibana. We're both captains. Just call me Seijuuro."

Makoto made a noise with what he hoped was agreement, mirroring the captain's habit of slapping backs awkwardly. He turned to face the Iwatobi swim club, Nagisa, Rei, Kou, and Haru, with a bright smile. "Mackerel pizza, anyone?"

There was a collective cheer as the group walked out of the building, Mikoshiba chatting with Kou, Rei and Nagisa arguing yet again, and Haru and Nitori trailing behind him ever so slightly. He walked quietly, feeling a genuine smile break out on his face as he watched the hubbub quietly.

It wasn't so bad, he thought. With this, Makoto could easily protect Haru from Rin. That broken, stricken expression would never, ever reappear on Haru's face this way.

If he looked back at that point, Makoto would see Haru staring at Rin through the windows.

But he didn't, and he walked on, none the wiser.

* * *

When Haruka forced open the door of the Samezuka pool building, it was eleven o'clock. Rin was seated coolly on the edge of the pool, his feet dangling loosely in the pool water. He looked up when Haruka closed the door, his red eyes piercing through the darkness.

"That took a while," Rin said lightly. Haruka nodded mutely, shuffling himself to lean against the door, if only to find _something _to support him.

"Rei and Nagisa fell asleep," Haruka explained quietly, his mind running through the events. The deafeningly loud partying. The high, almost drunk mood. The consequent lethargy. It was scary how well Nitori and Kou could create such an atmosphere and make everyone forget their troubles. "Makoto wanted us to leave, but Kou and Nitori asked me to stay a bit longer. He took Rei and Nagisa home. Kou went to the mall with Mikoshiba, and Nitori's in the dorm right now."

"The captain's not doing any creepy things with Gou, is he?" Rin growled lowly. Haruka smiled faintly, and he resisted the temptation to trace his lips to confirm that he really was smiling.

"It's Mikoshiba I'm worried about, not Kou," Haruka returned quietly. Rin chuckled lightly, but humorlessly.

"She takes after me," he quipped, grinning toothily. Rin patted the area beside him, and Haruka walked slowly over to where the redhead sat. He slipped down, sitting gingerly beside the redhead, tracing patterns in the water with his feet as he fought the electrifying warmth from Rin's proximity. He resisted the urge to just lean into the other's shoulder.

How long had it been since they last sat like this, no hard feelings between them?

The quiet was soothing, peaceful, despite their horrible track record. It was like the dampness after a fierce storm, the cool and the quietude following an ironically furious tempest, the relaxing chill of dewdrops. It was enough to kick off a whirlwind of memories in Haruka's head, and he was suddenly struck by the answer to his question.

It had been the night of Friday, February the fifteenth, one day after Rin gave him that cheesy Valentine's Day present, a few hours after Kou confessed to him. It was the night when they sat together in peace, troubles forgotten for just one brief, uncharacteristic, but pivotal moment in Haruka's life. It was the first domino that fell, leading to all the tears and anger and love that accumulated the past few weeks.

The fifteenth of February. Today was the nineteenth of March, just short of five weeks after that fateful day.

Rin stood up beside Haruka, causing him to jerk his gaze to the redhead's. His eyes were unfathomable, his already-greater height made that much more impressive as he stood over Haruka.

"Let's have a race," Rin said easily, stretching his arms. "Just one more, yeah?"

Haruka flinched. The déjà vu was almost ominous, but he slowly stood on his feet nonetheless.

"Alright," he assented quietly. He began stripping his clothes, his fingers fumbling uncharacteristically as the anxiety grew bigger and bigger. Rin watched as he did so, and Haruka felt more and more naked with each passing second.

"I don't want just any race, Haru," Rin suddenly spoke up. Haruka looked up at him almost timidly. The question showed obviously in his eyes, and Rin's mouth pursed into a thin line as he considered his words.

"You remember that bet you made, right? The one from a long time ago?"

A hazy memory resurfaced. Wednesday night. At the pool. "Taking charge". Disaster. Haruka felt the disbelief claw into him, and clearly, his expression showed it as Rin's eyes glinted.

"Race me, Haru," Rin said solemnly. "If I win, be my slut for one more night."

Haruka opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn't know what to think.

"Okay," he said instead. "It's on."

* * *

A/N: I really didn't know where I was going with this chapter, but whatever. Just charging full speed ahead regardless of quality. If you haven't noticed, that's basically my plan for the whole story. (Also, that random Makoto POV is bothering me but IDC anymore it's eleven and necesito dormir, if you catch my español.)

The conclusion is near. I'll try to keep updating regularly until I finish this story, but there's some trouble in my family so no guarantees that I'll be able to hold out 'til the end. Just so no one thinks I died when I don't update when I'm supposed to. I don't really want to let anyone down.

Thanks to the reviewers! Narutopokefan, Anon, curosityisn'tcurious, Guest, rivalgreenoak, CapturedByNoodle, Animecherryblossem33, SupernovaBrainImplosion, FallenAngel1129, Elvent, Ldrmas, PaperChild, the-l0llip0p, Mplunkett, CupcakeAlchemist, fAnFicLover0147, PinkSugarDust, Ko-Sensei, Rogue, Ni-chan9, Say-It, pennamesareforfancypeople. These past few days have been tiring. All the feedback is what keeps me going with this story.

Anyways, bye, I guess. Sorry for the lame outro. My mind is miles away right now.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: Warning! Badly written feels!

* * *

As soon Haruka propped himself onto the starting block, he knew he was going to lose.

Rin had always regarded Haruka his superior in swimming, at least enough to make him a checkpoint in the redhead's journey to fulfill his dream. It was bullshit; Haruka was the inferior one. His interest in training only went as far as what he needed to enjoy himself, to feel alive when he dove into the water, and it was a happy byproduct that it honed his skills greatly.

Rin, on the other hand - he had ambition. Convictions. It had always been perversely unfair to Haruka that he could go toe-to-toe with Rin when he didn't do half of the intense training the other did for the sake of their competition. Unfair how Haruka could make Rin cry despite how greatly the redhead outshone him. Unfair how his love for swimming gave the illusion of superiority, when Rin was absolutely amazing at swimming, amazing in how much he persevered.

Hard work trumped talent easily, Haruka thought. Especially when the talent was left unreinforced for the while when Haruka was too deep in his foolish grudge towards Rin. Especially when Rin had apparently been working himself to the bone, as his surprisingly fine-tuned performance during the practice indicated.

A snap pierced the air, echoing in the empty building conspicuously. Rin had pulled the elastic of his goggles back, and the muted sound of the band hitting his head was what rang through the air. The familiar habit calmed Haruka slightly.

Haruka was going to lose. The set-in-stone fact raced through his mind as Rin leaned forward on the starting block.

So be it. Victory wasn't what he wanted.

"Ready!" Rin shouted, and Haruka tensed.

"Go!"

They dove in.

Rin's dive went farther, as always, but Haruka sensed something off with the way Rin tore through the water. It was discreet, almost unnoticeable to even Haruka's experienced eyes, but he could see, ever so slightly, that the redhead's strokes were shaky, as if he had been swimming for hours. Had he been practicing the entire time Haruka was away?

A stroke pierced the water so sloppily that it almost made Haruka cringe mid-race. This was definitely not like Rin.

It was so cruelly ironic that Rin's determination to win was what hindered him. Perhaps Haruka's prediction was wrong, and Haruka would win. _Again_.

No. No no no no _no_, that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want to win, to see Rin collapsed weakly on the ground as grief ran down his face. He didn't want his stupid, _stupid _talent to break them apart yet again. He didn't want to lose Rin. _Again_.

But what if Rin won? Would it make a difference? He was going to bow down before Rin like the subservient sex toy the redhead apparently thought he was. What difference did it make if Rin lost whatever shred of humanity he seemed to have gained in favor of their sexual relationship?

Wouldn't he lose Rin either way?

Their feet hit the wall at the same time, Rin losing the lead that he established in the beginning, but Haruka knew Rin would propel himself farther than Haruka could. Rin swam aggressively, practically throwing himself into the water with every stroke and creating humongous splashes as he did so. That wasn't good. Rin was creating turbulence.

Another sloppy stroke. Rin was falling behind.

They both spearheaded to the start, Rin throwing so much force and determination into the last spurt that he actually negated their distance and inched ahead, right into the wall. Awe filled Haruka, even as his hand touched the wall a second after Rin did. How amazing was Rin to push forward and _win _by the sheer force of his determination despite all the disadvantages against him? Absolutely amazing.

Rin was amazing. Amazing in swimming, in the gargantuan nature of his will. But in relationships?

Haruka would have to see.

"What are you going to do to me?" Haruka asked quietly as Rin pulled off his goggles with a flick. He ran a hand through those red locks, and Haruka felt an overwhelming need to bury his hand into Rin's hair.

"Did you lose on purpose?" Rin asked. Haruka froze.

"No," he forced out quickly, too quickly. His heart was suddenly thumping furiously in his chest as a strange fear washed over him. "I tried my best. I really did."

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Bullshit," he returned flatly, leaning closer to Haruka. "You were clearly distracted. Did you want to lose? You wanted to be my slut that much?"

_Yes_, Haruka thought as the fear hammered his body. _If it makes you stay, then yes. Always yes._

He jumped when he felt a hand cup his face, turning his head to stare at Rin's eyes. They were deep, bottomless, and lacking the fire they usually sported.

"I was just kidding, Haru," Rin said, voice lilting with playfulness, but his jocose smirk didn't match the emptiness in his eyes at all. "Don't worry your panties off. I know you like that blond asshole."

No. That wasn't it at all.

Haruka opened his mouth, all the denials in the world about to cascade from his mouth, but Rin suddenly dove under lane divider and into Haruka's lane. He emerged so closely, so startlingly, that Haruka staggered backwards from all the sensations of Rin overwhelming him.

_Was this real?_ he wondered dizzily. There was no way a figment of his imagination could be so intense, so overwhelming.

Rin's hand rested gently on Haruka's hips, and if it wasn't for the water supporting him, his legs would've collapsed. The redhead moved his face so closely to Haruka's that their noses brushed, and Haruka instinctively set his hands on the other's chest.

"A deal's a deal," Rin muttered lowly, twisting his head and pressing his lips on Haruka's.

_One step forward and two steps backward._

Already, Haruka felt himself falling into the abyss. What the hell were they doing? They'd already broken away from each other, clearly establishing how _wrong _their sexual arrangement was, yet here Haruka was again, becoming a slave to the warmth that Rin gave him. What had he achieved? Rin was still an asshole, still technically sexually harassing him. Haruka still couldn't sort out his thoughts under the raging fire that Rin's lips passed into his body. Everything went in a full circle. Everything would go to shit again.

Would they never resolve their relationship?

When Haruka leaned weakly against the pool wall, Rin didn't force him against it like he expected. Instead, the redhead shifted his body carefully, almost tenderly, to accommodate Haruka's position. Haruka moaned, settling deeper into the water as Rin kissed the breath out of him.

Water. Rin. Water. Rin.

He loved it so much.

Rin nuzzled his lips against Haruka's, causing Haruka to suddenly jolt at the tenderness of the action. He moaned when Rin pulled back, taking away not just his lips but his entire body. Confusion disturbed the euphoria fogging his head.

"Rin?" he called out, his hand reaching for the other's shoulder. Rin just flinched back even more.

"Sorry," he heard from Rin. "For everything. I won't do it again."

"What do you mean?" Haruka returned, alarm piercing completely through the haze. Rin's tone wasn't quite right.

"For forcing myself on you," Rin began. "For making you cry. For screwing up Gou's feelings for you. For punching Daichi."

Rin hesitated for a moment before leaning in again, his lips pressed tenderly against Haruka's forehead. He whispered something muted, almost unintelligible, and definitely not meant to be heard, but Haruka could feel the words resonate through his body.

"Goodbye."

Haruka's jaw slackened. Rin pulled back, turning to the pool wall and hauling himself over the edge while Haruka remained paralyzed against the wall, disbelief hammering his body.

Goodbye.

Goodbye?

The absolute, fucking _nerve_.

His hand snapped around Rin's wrist as the redhead climbed over the edge, yanking him down so forcefully that it cramped his arm. Water flew up in a flurry around him, splattering all over his face and dousing him with cold, but the blazing fire in Haruka continued to rage furiously. He blindly grabbed Rin's shoulder underwater, ignoring the pain at his arm and throwing the redhead against the wall.

Haruka's breaths were shallow and quick like the livid beating of his heart. Rin laid motionlessly against the wall, his eyes wide and lost so uncharacteristically that it made a spiteful satisfaction well up in Haruka.

"What do you mean, 'goodbye'?" Haruka snarled, unable to recognize the bestial voice as his. Rin blinked, mouth opening and closing but no sounds coming out.

"What do you mean by that?" Haruka repeated lividly, the redness of Rin and anger, anger, anger clouding his vision. He was so, _so _mad. "You're leaving? You're leaving again?"

He buried his mouth into the crook of Rin's neck, ignoring how the other broke his shock and growled in response. Serves him right, Haruka thought, sucking furiously at the patch of skin. Retribution at its finest.

"Haru, get a hold of yourself," Rin hissed, a hand suddenly gripping Haruka's hair violently. Haruka ignored the pain, eyes tearing as he trailed kisses up and down Rin's neck, nipping and sucking to mark Rin as his, to never, ever let Rin leave.

The world suddenly turned blue as he was thrown into the water. He reemerged with dazed coughs, just to find his back against the pool wall and Rin holding him against it. Haruka struggled adamantly against the other's tight grip on his wrists, kicking the him painfully in the gut. Rin fell back into the water with an _oof _as Haruka heaved himself away from the edge of the pool, ignoring the pain of the red indentations on his skin. Rin rose from the water with an angry glare.

"What was that for?" Rin shouted, frustration affecting his voice. "I was apologizing, you jerk!"

Haruka threw himself forward, pushing Rin's chest angrily.

"You're an asshole," Haruka yelled, splashing water at the redhead with all the tired resentment bottled up inside. "What am I supposed to do? I tried everything. You're just going to leave again?"

Rin managed to catch Haruka's wrist with one hand, and he held it with a vice-grip. "Calm down, Haru. I'm not literally leaving, dipshit. Stop throwing a tantrum."

Another angry shove. Rin fell back a few paces as Haruka's chest heaved up and down with the effort of supplying oxygen to his raging muscles.

"I love you," Haruka blurted out, feeling so destitute, feeling like he had nothing left to lose. "I came to say that. I love you so much."

Rin's eyes widened before hardening. "Stop lying. You love Daichi."

"I tried," Haruka returned, his voice pitching into almost a wail as the anger in his veins began fading. "I tried, but it wasn't real. Nothing was real."

"You love Daichi," Rin repeated in a monotone, like a broken record.

"I love you," Haruka replied.

It was silent. Haruka suddenly fell forward, resting his head on Rin's stiff shoulder.

"I don't care if you believe me," he said tiredly. He sniffed deeply, trying to imprint the smell before it went away for good. "I just love you."

Haruka continued laying his head on Rin's stilled shoulder, his mouth pursed tightly as he locked all his unspoken thoughts away in the deep recesses of his mind. It was a good minute before he felt a hand rest gently on his head.

"You don't know what you're saying," Rin muttered, his throat vibrating against Haruka's head. "But I'll humor you. Let's continue where we left off."

Haruka looked up at Rin, and his eyes must've been deeply sad because the redhead completely deflated when they locked gazes. Still, he pulled Rin's head down, planting a tiny kiss on his lips.

"Okay," he whispered quietly into Rin's lips. Rin exhaled slightly, the puff of air tickling Haruka's mouth, before wrapping his arms around Haruka and kissing him deeply.

Haruka almost laughed at how empty he felt even as his lips danced against Rin's.

At least they could have goodbye sex.

* * *

A/N: So I had to think long and hard about what I wanted from this chapter. There was a lot of mixed responses to the last chapter, and pretty much everyone wanted a different outcome for their race. I tried to balance everyone's input, so I hope this was at least tolerable to everyone.

Meh. This chapter was shorter than the previous ones. I think it's a pretty good length considering how this was entirely one scene and the sheer number of page breaks I use per chapter. What can I say? I guess I have an affinity towards short scenes.

Thanks to the reviewers! curosityisn'tcurious, Elvent, Kinkylittlewolf, CapturedByNoodles, fAnFicLover0147, Guest, Animecherryblossem33, Say-It, PaperChild, Mplunkett, Rogue, the-l0llip0p, Guest (#2), Ni-chan9, Hey Those Beats, PaigeLaforet, Ko-Sensei.

Alright, then. See you all next time!


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Warning! Sexy angst! Angsty sex!

* * *

Haruka and Rin would've probably continued locking lips for all of eternity if Haruka's phone hadn't buzzed.

He pulled back from Rin, eyes lowered with sadness and the prettiest irritation in the world as he hauled himself out of the pool and to where his abandoned clothes laid. Rin followed suit quietly, standing reservedly at a distance while Haruka pulled out his phone. A bombardment of texts from Makoto awaited him.

_Where are you? You're not at your house.  
10 minutes ago_

_Kou told me you left the restaurant.  
10 minutes ago_

_Where did you go?_  
_9 minutes ago_

_Haru?  
7 minutes ago_

_Are you with Rin?_  
_6 minutes ago_

_Haru, answer me. I'm worried about you._  
_3 minutes ago_

_I'm coming to Samezuka._  
_Just now_

He cursed out loud, burying the phone into the pile of clothes. Was the world so against him being with Rin that it wouldn't even let him say goodbye privately? As he buried his face into his palms, he heard Rin approach, the wetness at his soles announcing every step.

"Who was that?" he heard Rin say.

"Makoto's coming," Haruka muttered angrily, yanking his goggles off and tossing it bitterly on the ground. He said nothing else, but the unspoken need to fulfill their goodbye pervaded through the air suffocatingly. The squeaky footsteps came closer.

Something warm nestled into the crook of Haruka's neck from behind him, tickling his chin slightly with wispy strands of red hair. Haruka leaned back into the mass with a sigh, feeling Rin's heartbeats reverberate through his body from his back.

"I have keys to the building," Rin said, the rumble of his voice vibrating soothingly into Haruka's collar. "We can lock the doors. Use an empty room or something."

Haruka reached a hand to the head nestling at his neck, running his fingers through Rin's hair slowly. "That sounds good."

Rin leaned into Haruka's hand as if encouraging his administrations to his chlorine-dried hair. It felt so peaceful, so tranquil for once that Haruka almost forgot Makoto's impending interference, forgot the reason behind these sweet actions that Rin would never, ever do in his right mind.

It was scary how familiar the action was. Scary how _everything _the past week or so felt so familiar, from his painfully awkward confrontation with Kou to the "bet" that Rin proposed, down to the sensual way Rin kissed him and, inevitably, to the heartbreak. Haruka pulled away from Rin, turning around to practically smother the other's lips with his own.

"More," he panted, but his demand was swallowed by Rin. He leaned in as much as he could, pressing himself right up against Rin and almost pushing the redhead back, trying his hardest to bury every ounce of his anger and grief under the desire. "_Hurry_."

Rin didn't have to be told twice.

It was pure torture breaking away from Rin so the redhead could lock the doors and lead him to an empty room. Even as Rin clumsily fumbled with the keys, Haruka stayed close, pressing as much of his body as possible against Rin's and kissing whatever skin he could. As soon as they stumbled in the room, Haruka tackled Rin against the wall, entangled in each other.

"Dammit, Haru," Rin cursed into Haruka's mouth. Haruka swallowed the noise greedily, opening his mouth and feeling every ridge of Rin's mouth ravenously. Rin fought back, his experience showing as he hit that one spot that made Haruka almost whimper, and Haruka found himself swaying with Rin's every move, grinding his entire body along Rin's. His trunks felt tighter and tighter as Rin trailed his hands down Haruka's back.

Every brush of Rin's finger against Haruka's sensitive back was like being shot with an arrow. He found himself arching his back, pushing as much of his body as possible against Rin's as he sucked on the redhead's bottom lip. When Rin dipped to the small of his back, Haruka found himself melting completely into Rin's body, throwing away all his reserve to throw his arms around Rin's neck and twining a leg around Rin's. Something hard dug into his hip.

"_Ooh_," Rin moaned, his tone and the way his head rolled back making Haruka pant and roll his hips forward. "Haru, you're so _sexy_."

Haruka released a guttural moan when a particularly well-aimed roll pushed his erection right against Rin's, the spandex of their trunks being the only thing that separated them. He moved his head down to Rin's neck as he thrusted with abandon, shivering and whimpering when Rin's fingers dipped under his trunks and _squeezed_.

They continued their tempo, Haruka grinding violently and Rin feeling under when their legs just gave out at the force of Haruka's thrusts. They crashed against the wall, slid down so Haruka was on top of Rin as he didn't cease his grinds the slightest. He groaned, his head falling forward to Rin's chest when a stray hand trailed up his chest, passing over the nipple teasingly.

"No," he said shakily, his thrusts pausing as he attempted to gather himself. "Now. I want now."

_Because it's our last time_.

Rin didn't seem to have the heart to torture him any longer, fingers directly circling the bud and playing with it. Haruka felt himself melt into putty, unable to think, to see, to do anything under the thick, raging fire that was making him so _hot_. When a wet mouth suddenly enveloped the other nipple, it sent violent tremors through his body as he made all his embarrassing noises.

"Ah, ah, _aah!_" he cried out weakly, each breath getting louder and louder with Rin's administrations. Rin shifted, pulling himself up against the wall they had fallen from to gain better access to Haruka's chest, licking, teasing, stroking everything, igniting every last part of Haruka's body on fire and using his sanity as the tinder.

"Haru." The sultry tone wrapping each letter of his name going straight to his dick. Haruka let out an airy gasp in response, loving the way Rin admired his body, fingers trailing through every contour, every plane, every dip and rise of his torso almost lovingly. Haruka felt so cruelly and ironically loved that he felt tears gathering with Rin's every touch.

"Rin," he groaned, his voice so pitched it could be considered a wail. Rin ignored him, growling lowly as he traced a line down his chest, over his navel, down to the hem of his trunks and tracing the edge tortuously slowly. He shuddered, feeling the heat gather in his core.

"Rin," he tried again, pulling away slowly and regretfully from Rin's body. Rin looked at him with an expression so intense, so dark that it almost made him come right there, right then. He barely held back a whimper as his fingers dove under Rin's trunks and yanked it right down, revealing Rin's rock-hard - no, _diamond _was a more accurate description of how hard it was, seeing as it throbbed so painfully it made Haruka groan just to imagine it inside of him - erection. He pulled his own trunks off as well, looking at Rin expectantly, and his expression must've been erotic to Rin because the redhead moaned and pulled Haruka closer by his ass.

Something penetrated into Haruka, making him wince slightly as the pain prickled through the waterfall of pleasure that downed him. He pulled himself so he was straddling Rin, erection to erection as Rin continued exploring in Haruka's most secret place, the place that Rin had already claimed once. He grabbed both erections in his hand, pumping furiously in time with Rin's stretches, pretending that Rin was inside of him, that he and Rin were one, that they were making so much love that the universe collapsed at how much they loved each other.

More pumps. More stretches. Haruka could only fan his raging need for so long. He violently tore his body away from Rin's fingers, propped Rin's erection up, and took aim. Rin's eyes blazed.

"Dammit, Haru," he heard from Rin in such a low and sensual tone that he wanted to take him in, all of him. So he did. Tears pooled at his eyes, not because of the irony anymore but also because of the roaring pain.

A kiss at his lips. Rin was looking at him with eyes half-mast - Haruka felt himself harden even more, if that was even possible - as Haruka blinked rapidly, trying to force back the moisture.

"Slow down," Rin murmured, his voice quiet yet unfailing in making Haruka's core feel like it was about to supernova. "It's going to hurt."

"No," Haruka snarled in response, a tear escaping from combating emotions of explosive pleasure and stabbing pain. "I'm not slowing down. I don't care if it hurts."

_You just want to stall_, Haruka thought angrily. _You didn't actually lock the doors. You're just taking your time so Makoto can come so you get an excuse to leave me._

Haruka's head fell forward into Rin's chest with a voiceless scream. _I hate you_, he tried to say. _I hate you so much_.

A hand wrapped around his erection, digging into his slit right away. Haruka almost sobbed at how good it made him feel, how the pleasure swatted away the burning pain. He looked up, staring into Rin's eyes and falling into them hopelessly.

Dammit. He was _so_ aroused.

Haruka began moving, ignoring the warning grunt that Rin gave him and the pain that rebounded sharply. He moved slowly, trying to memorize every centimeter that Rin's erection brushed against his walls, trying to use every last bit of self-control he had to not pound himself senseless. He could feel Rin twitch and fidget inside of him, the expression of the redhead's face giving away exactly how much he wanted this.

"Rin, you're _in _me," Haruka moaned in wonder, feeling so full and complete that even the pain was beginning to fade away. Rin's face contorted with pleasure as he attempted a growl.

"Don't need a narration," he tried to snap, but he cut himself off with a strangled gasp when Haruka tightened. Haruka almost screamed with him, his entire body freezing as the pleasure, pleasure, _pleasure _hammered and pounded every cell of his body. He shuddered, eyes crossing and almost collapsing as the stabbing pleasure, as quick as it came, disappeared.

What was _that_?

"Rin," Haruka whimpered as he heightened his pounds, trying desperately to target that hidden spot that made everything go neon and vomit rainbows. "Rin, what was that?"

He hit it again. This time, he emitted such a guttural moan that it shook through both of their bodies. Rin's head went back against the wall, eyes closing as the pleasure washed both of them.

"Prostate," the redhead forced out with a gasp. "Sweet spot."

Haruka dove deeper into his pounds, searching violently for the secret button that deluged both of them with pleasure. Rin's hand flew away from Haruka's erection from how wild Haruka was, lifting himself up and down from Rin's erection, angling himself every single time to look viciously for his prostate. Haruka probably looked insane. He certainly felt insane.

He hit again. This time, along with emitting those embarrassing noises that ran away with Haruka's reserve, he tried desperately to memorize what angle, what position he needed to hit it. He speared it head-on the second time, ripping a scream from his throat and tightening around Rin so much that the redhead looked almost ready to cry.

"Rin," he moaned over and over, each time breaking more and more of his inhibitions until he was full-on wailing the redhead's name. His arms began to shake, causing him to fall forward onto Rin's chest even as he continued lifting himself up and down, slamming furiously into Rin's incredibly hard dick. He almost choked at how sharply it hit his sweet point.

"_Rin_," he keened, forehead pressed into Rin's chest. He was torn between falling forward all the way to listen to the _thump thump _of Rin's heart and straightening himself so he could spear his prostate more easily. He felt himself tightening incredibly around the shaft when a vicious bounce ravaged him, ripping another scream from him and making dynamite explode in his vision. Rin began shaking, the vibrations making it feel _so good_.

"_Haru_," Rin groaned so unevenly and erotically that it dipped Haruka's entire body in lava. "O-off! I'm coming!"

Rin tried to push Haruka off, but Haruka swatted the hands away and arched his back as everything came loose within him. A torrent of lust rushed in, filling him up to the brim with so much fullness almost as if trying to compensate for the gaping hole inside of him. He continued pounding into Rin's dick, ignoring how the essence spilled out sloppily with every hit and fanning the volcanic heat with the knowledge that Rin came, that Rin came inside, that Rin came because of _Haruka_.

"Rin, I-"

It was like last time. Haruka was so close to the brink, about to fall off any second. He couldn't keep it in anymore.

"I love you!"

Shooting stars. Starbursts. Auroras. Every pretty thing in the universe suddenly accumulated right in front of Haruka's vision as he felt the tight magma become too much. It was a celestial celebration of the fulfillment, all the planets aligning and all the comets arriving to cheer for the momentous occasion. He didn't make a sound as the release came, trying so desperately to preserve the purity of the moment, to not taint the beautiful closure that the universe had finally, _finally_ given him.

Just like that, it was over.

He fell forward completely, all the energy in his limbs draining out with the stickiness sandwiched between his and Rin's torsos. He could barely think, much less breath or see or hear, yet the ragged rises and falls of Rin's chest echoed through Haruka's body as if they were his own. Eventually, he could feel Rin's breathing separate from his, adopting its own tempo. The magic had disappeared.

Gone.

Rin would be gone.

Haruka forced himself upwards, ignoring the shackle-like exhaustion wreaking both his and Rin's body, ignoring the steadily unpleasant stickiness pooling in his hole and at Rin's chest.

He needed a second round.

In his haze, Haruka attempted to mount Rin before realizing the dick was completely soft. He pulled back sloppily, arms flailing and giving out as he shakily tried to take Rin's penis in his mouth, ignoring the dirty liquid covering it. Rin was surprisingly comatose as he sucked insistently. It shot fear through Haruka's veins.

Did Rin already move on?

A muffled noise. It was quiet, thin, and so unsexy it deflated Haruka's lust completely. He pulled back, so drained of emotion and moisture that tears couldn't fall from his lowered eyes.

It was over. Everything was over.

A sob.

It took a full minute for Haruka to realize it wasn't his. His eyes trailed to Rin's face, which was covered with a trembling arm, taking in the pursing of his lips that trembled slightly.

"Rin?" he heard himself saying, his voice scratchy and brittle, his tone ending with a curve upwards as the question left his tongue. Rin said nothing, laying so still that Haruka thought it was his imagination.

"Haru," Rin finally said, his voice so broken and cracked that Haruka realized _no_, he wasn't imagining things. He fell forward instantly, wrapping his arms around Rin's body without any more questions.

"Haru," Rin said again, a tremor wreaking his body. Haruka tightened his hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Haruka began stroking Rin's hair with one hand, playing gently with the tresses as the tremors heightened.

"Don't go, Haru. I'm sorry."

"I know. I'm right here, Rin."

"Haru. Haru. Please don't leave."

"I won't."

"I'm sorry. Please believe me."

"I believe you."

Rin removed his arm from his face, clutching tightly at Haruka's shoulders as if his life depended on it. Haruka just sank himself deeper, tried to fit against Rin's body as best as he could while the redhead trembled weakly.

"Haru, please forgive me. I'm so sorry."

"I forgive you, Rin," he whispered into Rin's ear, gently brushing the tip of his nose against the lobe. "I love you, after all."

Rin stayed quiet for a moment, his sniffles receding into silence. His body still trembled, but not with the violence of sobbing. The wetness Haruka felt at his neck told him that Rin was not done yet.

"Do you really love me?"

Rin's voice was meek. At any other time, Haruka would be gloating at how uncharacteristically weak he sounded, but not now. Definitely not now.

"Yes, Rin," he replied just as quietly. He turned to look at Rin's red eyes, not just red from its natural hue but also from shedding tears. He leaned down, pecking Rin's forehead, nose, then lips, - everything he loved about Rin - remaining on the last one for a few extra seconds.

"I love you," Haruka whispered into them.

Rin appeared frozen when Haruka lifted his head away from his, but he broke the suspension suddenly by turning his head away.

"You're an idiot," Rin said flatly, the bite in his voice completely absent. Haruka nuzzled into Rin's neck, gently kissing the hickey he'd placed there out of anger, almost as an apology.

"You're right," he hummed. He tried to kiss Rin's chin, but the redhead turned away.

"Don't just blatantly admit it. It's annoying."

"But it's true."

Haruka could feel Rin's rising frustration almost as if it was his own.

"You're an idiot if you love me," Rin repeated stubbornly, still looking away. Rin's arm slid down from Haruka's shoulders to cross themselves at Rin's chest. "Find someone else to love."

"I told you," Haruka murmured. He took one of Rin's hands in his, kissing each finger lovingly. "I tried, but I couldn't. Only you, Rin."

"Try harder." Rin tore his hand away from Haruka's grasp.

"I can't. Only you."

Rin didn't reply, giving off waves of antagonism even as Haruka held him tightly. Haruka felt his eyes lid as he pulled away slowly.

"If that's what you want," he began, his voice heavy and dragging with a million tons, "I'll leave you alone. I'll stop saying I love you."

_No guarantees that I'll actually stop _loving _you_, he thought bitterly.

As Haruka pushed himself away from Rin sluggishly, something quickly wrapped around his wrist, halting him in his tracks. His eyes returned to Rin's, and he felt the breath leave his lungs as he took in those wide, panicked eyes.

"No," Rin blurted out sloppily, voice so uncomposed that it made Haruka feel bare. "That's not what I meant. You promised you wouldn't leave."

Haruka stared at Rin, stared at those urgent eyes, trying to gauge exactly what Rin wanted from him.

"Okay," he finally said, shifting himself so he was sitting beside Rin, shoulders brushing. "I'll stay."

Rin exhaled a breath, almost like a sigh of relief, as Haruka sat quietly beside him, no lust, no anger, just simple resignation. They stayed like that in silence, ignoring the mess all over them, ignoring the trunks that had flown across the room in their sex, ignoring how heavily dark the room was, until Rin broke the spell with a shaky breath.

"Haru." Rin's breath was so ragged and sad that it made Haruka's heart hurt. "Hear me out."

He nodded wordlessly before realizing that Rin probably couldn't see him, taking one of Rin's hands in his instead. Rin squeezed back.

"I've always been attracted to you," he began. "Not like this at first. Like curiosity or admiration or some other childish shit like that. And I've always admired your swimming."

Haruka's grip tightened. He didn't need Rin to tell him that to know.

"It turned to jealousy at some point. Probably when I was in Australia, but you know. I was pissed that I still lost to you, even when I worked so hard, and it probably got to my head. I tried to distract myself with chicks and stuff, and it worked for a while. I wasn't as bothered by being inferior.

"But you came back into the picture. Gou told me to give that stupid present to you, and you started dating her. I didn't like it very much, having my sworn enemy be my sister's boyfriend. And I thought about that a lot. Even with other women. I kept thinking about it, about how you always follow me everywhere, no matter how much I try to stay away. Then I thought, 'what if it was me, not Gou?'"

Haruka squeezed Rin's hand.

"So I freaked out, obviously. I mean, I wasn't gay, and I definitely didn't like you that way. So yeah, I tried to ignore it for a while, but then you broke up with Gou and made her cry. I was angry about that, naturally, but also, a part of me saw it as an opportunity. I thought, _hey, I can take this opportunity to indulge in my fantasy without coming off as a creep because Haru deserves what's coming to him_.

"And it did kind of go as planned, at least in the beginning. I felt a lot better actually doing that shit with you, not just because I could punish you or be better than you in _something_, but also because, hey, I was fulfilling my fantasy. But it didn't work out. Everything got worse because it didn't go away. You started showing balls and Nagisa found out, and I panicked. And then - well, the rest is history."

Haruka said nothing. Rin said nothing as well. Their hands remained locked together, even as Rin buried his head into his free hand.

"Do you love me?" Haruka finally said. He felt Rin's hand stiffen in his before pulling away.

"That's not important," Rin growled.

"Do you love me?" Haruka asked again, turning to face Rin solemnly. Rin looked away, but not before Haruka caught the fire in his eyes.

"I told you, that's not important!" Rin's voice returned to its usual angry state. "It doesn't matter whether I love you or not - heh, what an overused word. Did you not hear what I said? You're an absolute _idiot _for harboring any bit of attraction towards me. Go find someone else!"

"Rin," Haruka said more forcefully. He grabbed Rin's face with his hands, turning the redhead to face him. "It does matter. Do you love me?"

Rin's eyes were a pool of conflicting emotions. "It doesn't matter," he repeated. "Not when I did all that stuff. It doesn't matter."

Haruka pulled his head so close to Rin's that they were touching noses. "You're wrong, Rin," Haruka said, his resolve steeling his voice. Rin flinched. "The stuff you did doesn't matter. Not now. What matters is whether you love me or not, because I love you."

Rin hesitated, his anger fading completely to reveal so many raw emotions in his eyes.

"I love you," he finally said.

Haruka leaned in to kiss him.

"That's all I need."

* * *

A/N: I am a boss at using sappy cliches. Someone should award me a trophy. Hello? Anyone? It's a great achievement!

Argh. So many feels. Gotta make the conclusion feelsy, you feel me? Of course you feel me, since I'm (hopefully) giving you feels. HA, feels. Anyways, **this is not the end**. I predict two more chapters, one of them being the epilogue. And sorry for the lateness because this was a long, long chapter to write.

Reviewers! Aaagh, you guys gave me so many feels. Ldrmas, bloom flower, imperativa, Ihavetourette's, Animecherryblossem33, L. Monster, AnuHit, PaigeLaforet, Elvent, PaperChild, curosityisn'tcurious, fAnFicLover0147, Mplunkett, PinkSugarDust, Ko-Sensei, Kinkylittlewolf, sashimi, l1zHarvey. Again, I'm so sorry for the lateness! This chapter was one of the harder ones to write.

Uuuuuh yeah. I'll be seeing y'all soon. Until then!


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Warning! Super long conversations. The fluff will melt yooou.

* * *

The events that followed were a blur of awkwardness and numb disbelief, kind of like being suspended in a dream you knew could no way be true.

Haru had kissed him, and Rin returned it, not because he knew what was going on but because kissing Haru was always a comfort. They continued for a while, kissing so gently and against every sexual foundation in his body, before the discomfort of their situation became too much to bear. They showered afterwards before Rin realized cleaning Haru wasn't quite so simple and hauled him back to his dorm while Nitori was thankfully asleep. Haru had bee-lined for the bath, and here Rin was, lying on his bed and staring off into space.

I love you, Haru said to him. Not once, not twice, not even thrice. Rin attempted to count how many times those words in that particular order came out of Haru's mouth but lost his place by the fifth time. Haru was like a broken record, eternally stuck on the same measure in an attempt to brainwash Rin into thinking it was true. It was bullshit. Absolute bullshit.

But Rin was giving himself too much credit. The first thing that flew through his mind when Haru confessed wasn't how big a load of crap it was, but rather a bubbling feeling as if his chest was a balloon being filled with helium. _Then _Rin realized that it was too good to be true, that Haru was just a sexually confused virgin - well, not anymore - who Rin shouldn't have messed with in the first place. There was no way, no matter how much Rin wanted it to happen. No way at all.

He sighed. Everything was a mess. Their fragile balance would no doubt shatter within a few days, much like Haru's short-lived romance with Gou.

When Haru walked out of the shower, hair wet and clad in Rin's clothes, Rin felt his cheeks heat up uncomfortably. As Haru crawled into Rin's bed, turning so he was back to back with Rin, it took everything in Rin's power to not think about how his clothes were slightly too big on Haru, how it was such an intimate, couple-like sight.

Then Haru just had to make it worse.

"I love you," Haru whispered into his ear as they adjusted themselves in the bed. Rin just sighed, sober with the reality of the situation, throwing the covers on both of them before turning away.

"Sure, Haru. If you say so."

* * *

In hindsight, Rin shouldn't have let his skepticism slip because Haru stayed awake trying to convince Rin that he loved him.

"Hey, Rin?"

"Go to sleep, Haru."

"I love you."

"I got it the first ten times you said that. Stop repeating yourself."

"I won't stop until you believe me."

"I believe you."

"Liar."

Rin sighed, rolling to face Haru and stroking the other's hair.

"Haru, there's a limit on how difficult you should be, and you're a thousand miles past it."

"Says you."

"Ugh. Don't throw my words back at me."

Silence. Nitori's snores droned on like crappy elevator music.

"Hey, Haru."

"Go to sleep."

"What did I say about repeating my words?"

"You make it too easy for me."

"Shut up and listen to me. Do you really love me?"

"Yes. I thought you got it the first ten times I said it."

"_Haru_."

"I'll stop."

"Thank you."

Quiet. Snoring.

"You said what I did before didn't matter, that the only thing that did was if I loved you."

"I did."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I do. Do you?"

"You said you'd stop, asshole."

"I'm serious this time. _Do_ you?"

A pause.

"No. Not at all. You're stupid to believe that you can just forget the past."

"I'm not forgetting. It just doesn't matter now."

"And that's such a big difference. You're a fool, Haru. You'll forgive anyone left and right."

"You talk as if it was easy."

"I won't know unless you tell me."

"Well it wasn't, Rin. I was a mess. I was angry and hurt, and I didn't want to go anywhere or see anyone. Actually, I think I almost hated you at one point. But I realized that was wrong."

"Why? You're right to hate me, Haru."

"I'm not. It wasn't just your fault, Rin. If I really hated it that much, I could've just left any time I wanted to. Report you to the authorities or something. But I didn't. I liked it, but now everyone's blaming you for something we both share fault for."

"You're not at fault, Haru. Who was raped? Who was the rapist? Not you."

"It wasn't rape."

"You said it was rape."

"I was wrong. I wasn't thinking at that time. I _wanted _it, Rin. You didn't force it on me."

"You cried."

"Because you broke my heart, not because you forced your penis in my poop chute."

"Ew. And for the record, I technically did that."

"Not against my will, for the most part."

Rin's fingers danced through Haru's hair, feeling each strand with a gentle slowness.

"Is it still broken, now?"

"No." Rin felt Haru snuggle up beside him. "Quite the contrary."

"That's good."

"Yeah. And I'm sorry for what I said before."

"What?"

"The rapist comment."

"Oh, that. Yeah, kind of pissed me off."

"Do you forgive me?"

Exhale.

"Yeah. You said it yourself. It doesn't matter now."

It was so tranquil, feeling Haru curled warmly at his side and hearing Nitori's lullaby-like snores. Rin could feel the sleep wash over him, but he fought it, suddenly feeling words slipping off his tongue.

"This feels new."

"Yeah."

"Not being mad at each other. Actually talking things out. Feels like the first time."

"You never tell me anything, Rin."

"Says you."

"Who's throwing words back at who, now?"

"Shut it, Haru-chan."

"As you please, Rinrin."

More silence. Haru seemed to hum thoughtfully, his head buried in Rin's shoulder.

"Are we dating?"

Rin almost choked on air.

"What?"

"It's a legitimate question. Are we dating?"

"I-I guess."

"So you're my boyfriend, right?"

"That's what dating entails, yes."

"So we can go on dates and hold hands and kiss, right?"

"_Stop_, Haru. I don't want to talk about this at two AM."

"Are you embarrassed?"

Rin pulled away from Haru, turning away from the other and burying his reddening face under the pillow. "No."

"Liar. You're blushing."

"Am not."

"Your ears are red."

"Well _excuse me _for being embarrassed that my long-time rival and supposed bane of my existence suddenly became my boyfriend despite my previous heteronormative disposition."

"It wasn't that sudden. We've been doing... _this _for almost five weeks."

"You counted?"

"I was curious. You're not the only one who's embarrassed, Rin."

"Oh? Is the prodigious Haruka Nanase admitting his weaknesses?"

"Shut up, Rin." Haru lightly punched his shoulder, causing a light laugh to escape Rin's lips. "And I'm just excited. I want to do boyfriend stuff with you."

Rin felt a smile breaking his face, and he wished it wasn't so dark so he could see that adorable blush on Haru's face. "You're awfully talkative right now."

"I figured that communication is one of our weak points." Rin hummed in agreement. "And I'm just... happy. I thought you were going to leave me, but you're sleeping beside me as my new boyfriend. Really happy."

"Ugh. I swear you're doing this on purpose. Let me kiss you."

He did. Rin pulled back, but not before taking in that lovely expression on his boyfriend's face. Haru audibly sighed, his breath tickling Rin's lips before he sank deeply into the pillow, his arms thrown loosely around Rin's shoulders.

"How are we going to tell the others?" Haru suddenly said. Rin paled.

"Shit. Shit fuck shit. I didn't think about that."

"Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa still think you forced me."

"Why didn't you tell me this _before _we started dating? Fuck, fuck, _fuck_, Makoto's going to skin me alive."

"No, I won't let him."

"How're you going to do that, Haru? Pray for a tree to spontaneously combust and have Makoto change his mind from the fumes?"

"No. I have a plan."

"No, no, no. I have a bad feeling about this. I've had enough with scheming Nagisas and devious Nitoris."

"Trust me, Rin. It's going to work."

"I am having a panic attack right now."

"It's okay, Rin." Haru leaned in to kiss him. "Does that calm you down?"

"Not at all. Giving me kisses isn't going to convince me your plan's going to work."

"It will. Trust me."

When Rin opened his mouth in protest, Haru pulled his body closer and planted the sweetest kiss Rin had ever experienced on his lips. Rin felt his sex-fiend status stripped away wholly at how many butterflies tickled his stomach. Gah, was he a love-struck schoolgirl?

"Go to sleep, Rin," Haru whispered quietly, sleep tinging his voice. "It's been a long night."

Just like that, Rin felt his eyes lidding. His embarrassment flew away like a bird taking flight.

He could get used to this.

* * *

Rin knew something was wrong when his "annoying roommate" alarm went off a good hour before his calibrated wake-up time. He _definitely _knew something was wrong when he heard a shutter sound. His arm darted out like a python.

"Eep! Matsuoka-senpai!"

Eyes snapped open and a body jerked up. In his hand was a skinny wrist attached to a hand holding a phone. Beyond that was the most comical _oh shit _face Rin had ever seen, if he wasn't so annoyed at the situation.

"Nitori," he growled lowly, trying to tone down his sudden urge to lock his roommate in the bathroom. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Nitori shrunk back. "I-I just - I'm just taking pictures of your covers! I like your covers!"

"We have the exact same covers."

Nitori paled like he usually did when a math test was imminent. "O-okay, I was just curious w-what you're doing with Nanase!"

Rin was about to snap Nitori's wrist before a groan from beside him jolted his attention away. He looked to the side, taking in how Haru pulled away from hugging Rin to stretching like a cat, his yawn so wide that Rin was tempted to shove Nitori down that cavern. But he didn't want to subject his boyfriend to that torment.

His boyfriend.

Shit.

Haru pulled himself up, looking sleepily between Rin and Nitori. "Rin? What time is it?"

Rin felt his throat go dry from how derpy Haru's expression was and how close Nitori was to discovering their relationship. "I-it's six thirty-five," he coughed.

"Oh." Haru's eyes settled on Nitori's. "Hello, Nitori-san."

Nitori gulped. "Hi, Nanase-san."

In Rin's shock, he could do nothing as Haru leaned in and placed a chaste peck on his lips. All the windows might as well have shattered based on the dumbfounded expressions on Nitori's and Rin's faces, but Haru remained disturbingly unperturbed, throwing his arms around Rin and dragging him back down onto the bed.

"Rin, it's too early," Haru almost whined. "Nitori, could you leave us alone?"

Nitori's face was a deep crimson, but Rin was sure his face rivaled the hue. "O-okay, but can I do something first?"

Neither Rin nor Haru had the opportunity to answer before Nitori snapped a picture on his phone and dashed away. Rin and Haru were left in silence.

"You stupid, stupid idiot!" Rin exploded. Haru's face remained blank, but Rin could just _see _that tiny little smirk at the corner of his lips.

"Now Nitori and probably all of Samezuka know," Haru returned conversationally. "One down, Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa to go."

"You're going to be the death of me," Rin groaned, burying his head deep into his pillow. He felt fingers stroking his hair gently. "More than Makoto. More than Gou. More than Daichi."

He felt Haru's fingers freeze in their tracks as Haru perked up. Rin looked up, eyebrow raised as he took in his boyfriend's expression of almost enlightenment.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Rin, hand me your phone."

Rin did, eyeing Haru suspiciously as he dialed a number meticulously. He put it on speaker, and a few rings rang out through the room.

"Who the fuck is calling me at six fucking AM?" the phone suddenly snarled. Rin suddenly froze before bristling.

"Hey, Daichi," Haru returned calmly, ignoring the angry glare that Rin sent him. "It's Haruka. I just wanted to talk."

It was quiet for a moment as Daichi no doubt tried to process the information. Then, "The fuck do you want."

"How're things with Kou?"

"You shut the fuck up." Daichi's voice was surprisingly miserable. "Came to rub it in, didn't you? And you should watch your back, water freak, 'cause I saw that carrot top from Samezuka hitting on her at the mall. Right in front of me too, that flamecrotch asshole."

"Hm."

"You asshole, you don't give a damn, do you? What does Kou see in you? If I was her boyfriend, I would give her all my heart and not let _any _stupid carrot tops get near her. But I'm not her boyfriend, you know? 'Cause you took that title, dickwad!"

"Daichi, I'm dating Rin."

"Oh, I know you're dating - wait, what? Who're you dating?"

"Rin."

"Rin?"

"Red hair? Pointy teeth?"

Silence.

"Give me a second to process this."

"What I'm saying, Daichi, is that Kou's open game. You should confess to her. Or do you want Mikoshiba to take her first?"

"You're not dating Kou?"

"No. Haven't been since we broke up a month ago."

"You weren't dating that whole time?"

"No."

Silence.

"Shit. _Shit_. I have to go. Go fuck yourself, water freak."

Daichi promptly hung up.

Haruka handed Rin his phone, his expression so free of guilt that Rin almost thought the conversation was a figment of his imagination. But why the fuck would he imagine Haru hooking up his sister with Daichi?

"Did you just hook up my sister with Daichi?" Rin growled. Haruka glanced at him innocently. "I didn't exactly give you permission to do that."

Haruka leaned in, stealing yet another kiss from Rin. "Your sister's old enough to make her own decisions, Rin. Besides, don't you want to see more love in the air?"

Rin made a face, but he felt his anger draining away from the sight of those soft blue eyes. He pulled Haru in for a kiss.

"There's enough love in the air as is," he muttered. Haru smiled.

"I love you, Rin."

Rin felt a laugh escape his lips.

"I love you too, Haru."

* * *

A/N: THE END. TECHNICALLY. STILL AN EPILOGUE LEFT THOUGH.

So, this chapter was quite a lot more lighthearted than the previous ones. Also really fun to write their "witty banter". Trust me, as much as I write drama, I love fluff more than anything (probably 'cause it won't give a me bad grade in Chemistry like angst does). xD

Anyways, it's been a long journey, and I really appreciate everyone who came alone, whether you were here from the beginning or joined later on. I dunno how to express this emotion, but it's sort of like fulfillment. Or sadness that it's over. Either way, feels galore. Thank you all so much.

ASDagfaf reviewers. HavenRose, fAnFicLover0147, Hey Those Beats, Bloom Flower, imperativa, iloveyou (love you too), curosityisn'tcurious, Say-It, Armour, violentyetawesome, Kinkylittlewolf, Animecherryblossem33, Arelinna, PinkSugarDust, pennamesareforfancypeople, Elvent, PaperChild, Guest, HappyDrageneel, Mplunkett, FallenAngel1129, the-l0llip0p, Ni-chan9, Neevey, SunshineTails, Ko-Sensei, AnuHit (accepts sap trophies). So many of you, so many incoherent feels coming out this time. I feel accomplished since that was what I was going for.

Yeeeaaah, gotta go to school now. See you next time!


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: **Please read the author's note at the end for important information.**

* * *

Neither Rin nor Haruka went to school that Wednesday, choosing to cuddle and "fool around" while Nitori covered for both of them. By the time Haruka finally got around to checking his phone, he was bombarded with a truckload of messages from Makoto, Nagisa, Rei, etc. etc. Haruka deleted them instantly, which in hindsight wasn't a good idea because when he got home, Makoto was waiting for him with such a stern look of disappointment. Haruka somehow managed to evade his old friend's questions and went to sleep without another word.

When Haruka went to school the next day, he found the soulless shell of a person that was apparently Daichi. According to Rei's account, Daichi had heeded his advice and confessed to Kou during yesterday's swim meet, but he was rejected brutally because of something that had happened at the mall. When Haruka talked to Kou later on, he learned that Daichi was working when she went to the mall with Mikoshiba, and he got into a nasty fight with the two of them. Haruka almost felt sorry for Daichi. He looked like a kicked puppy.

Later that evening, at the joint practice with Samezuka, Haruka took the opportunity to initiate his plan. Needless to say, his friends almost had heart attacks when they found out Haruka was dating Rin.

Everyone, particularly Makoto, was skeptical for the first few weeks of their relationship. By the time they reached their one month anniversary, the frost had broken slightly, but tension was still ripe when Rin came over to visit Haruka or when Haruka went on a date with Rin. Haruka and Rin didn't take it to heart, even growing closer as a result of the disapproval. It was just one struggle they had to go through together, and Haruka had faith in his friends.

Daichi's post-rejection depression lasted a short few days before the blond rebounded as always. It was obvious to Haruka that he was still enamored with Kou, even getting a membership at the neighborhood gym in hopes of getting Kou to admire his muscles. Surprisingly, Daichi was the only one besides Kou who wholly accepted Haruka's relationship with Rin, no longer glaring or tensing in Haruka's presence by a week and even exchanging pleasantries by the end of the month.

Haruka's and Rin's relationship progressed steadily in spite of the difficulties they faced with their combative personalities. Their first date was on the first Saturday of their relationship, and they went to the aquarium per Kou's insistence. It was a disaster, but that didn't stop them from going out every weekend or visiting each other almost everyday. The honeymoon haze was fading away slowly, but Haruka held the future with bright eyes.

It was just the beginning.

* * *

On Thursday, March the twenty-first, two days following their heartfelt confession and right as the swimmers were packing up after finishing the joint practice, Rin turned around to behold a startling sight.

"Happy White Day."

Lo and behold, there stood Haru with the mostly infuriatingly blank expression on his face. Rin's expressions transitioned from beet-red to scowling before finally ending with a smirk.

"Sorry, but I don't like you that way," he retorted without missing a beat. Haru smiled lightly as Rin took the sack in his hands, ignoring the questioning gazes pointed at them, particularly from Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei. Rin could see Gou smiling from the corner of his eye.

In an act of defiance and resolution, Rin leaned in and planted a loud, sloppy kiss on Haru's lips. The air froze with tension, but Rin and Haru might have been on a different planet from how unaffected they were. Rin felt Haru's lips quirk up in a smile under his, and his boyfriend licked his lips teasingly before pulling away.

"Let's go on a date," Haru said loudly, pointedly. Someone coughed awkwardly in the background.

"Saturday," Rin returned. They gazed at each other before breaking away as if nothing had happened. Just like that, the post-joint practice routine resumed with Rin adamantly ignoring those poorly disguised glances that Nitori sent him. He perked up when he heard Haru's voice mingled with Makoto's, Rei's, and Nagisa's.

Makoto wore the most ridiculous expression of disbelief that Rin couldn't help but chuckle despite knowing how deep in shit he was. Nagisa, as well, formed a perfect O with his mouth along with Rei, who resorted to pushing up his glasses at being unsure of what to do. Haru, in the midst of all the chaos, appeared so calm and deadpan that Rin felt his insides melting from both laughter and affection towards his boyfriend.

When Haru was leaving with the perturbed Iwatobi swim club, he looked back to catch Rin's eye.

_See you Saturday_, Haru mouthed. Rin grinned.

_Thanks for the present_, Rin returned.

They exchanged a profound look before Makoto awkwardly cut them off. Rin turned away, ignoring how Nitori squealed loudly beside him, holding the future with bright eyes.

It was just the beginning.

* * *

A/N: The end. For real this time.

This chapter. I'll have you know that I've had the second scene in mind since the very first day I thought of this story. Also the reason why I wanted this story to end in specifically five weeks. Feels so fulfilling to finally write this out, although I'm sad that this story is ending and that I can't do more.

**Important! Future Rinharu stories!**

As I've mentioned before, I have a few Sharkbait stories planned, both of them fantasy-ish. **Please visit my profile to vote on which one you want me to write first****. **In the mean time, here's a description of both of them.

**1.** Empire AU. Based _loosely_ on Japan right before feudalism. Haru is the heir to an increasingly corrupt throne, while Rin is the son of a commoner who rose through the ranks and landed a position in court. Despite Haru being a beacon for reviving the empire, Rin and his faction hates him vehemently, planning a rebellion to overthrow the imperial system. The rebellion begins with an attempt on Haru's life.

**2.** Ship AU. The island of (no name yet) was once a peaceful, abundant paradise. However, its patron god, the god of water, has been angered and is wreaking destruction on the island. As a result, thousands have flocked to the (no name yet), a massive, enchanted ship that brings hope of escape to the mainland, where the god of land rules. Haru goes on the ship with a secret duty that may or may not influence the fate of the island and just so happens to find his childhood friend Rin.

Reviewers. I feel kind of bittersweet, since this is the last time I'll be doing this for this story. But no fear! This is just the beginning, as Haru and Rin seem determined to repeat. I plan to continue writing Rinharu fics, hopefully getting better and better with each one. Thanks to aimlessNovelist, L. Monster, Neevey, imperativa, R0ach, Animecherryblossem33, PaigeLaforet, Kinkylittlewolf, curosityisn'tcurious, Ko-Sensei, HavenRose, Yaoi Con Queen, bloom flower, Say-It, l1zHarvey, Elvent, PinkSugarDust, FallenAngel1129, fAnFicLover0147, Syn'ph, pennamesareforfancypeople, veancie, Ldrmas, Ni-chan9, Egoisticme, Shiroxcat, MusicIsaDrug18, FallenAngel1129. Not just to those who've already reviewed but those who review in the future. I appreciate every single one of you.

I could say something dramatic like "the curtain is closing" or something, but this isn't a goodbye. I'll be seeing you all soon!

(Okay, not so soon. I need some time to focus on school and plan the future fics, but whatever.)


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